Hina Digger
by kyugan
Summary: A freak quirk of fate lands Keitaro in Peru...just in time to take part in an adventure that will span several continents...and worlds!
1. Chapter 1

Once Again, I apologise to all those waiting on updates, but some ideas HAVE to be posted or they get forgotten.

This work was inspired by Ice-Tea-1983's The Black Paw, a brilliant piece of fiction for all those that like Ranma crossovers.

That said, on with the show.

* * *

Hina Digger

Chapter 1.

Welcome to Hinata city, home of the prestigious Hinta-sou, once one of the finest inns in the country. Sadly, it's glory days have faded and has been recently converted into an all girls dormitory. Until recently, Hinata-city was a quiet area with little to attract tourism, in fact, with the fall of the inn; the area had almost become run down.

That changed when Toudai aspirant and 2nd year ronin Urashima Keitaro inherited the position of Kanrinin, and unknowingly, all the land around the inn from his, rather eccentric, grandmother.

Since that day, people would flock from far and wide simply to get a good spot to watch the fireworks, with many small restaurants now sporting verandas so as to provide a better view of the wonder that was the world's only 'surface-to-air human projectile'.

Needless to say, Keitaro got a lot of free drinks and clothing for reasons he didn't really understand but was grateful of either way, as quite frankly, his funds were in the crapper.

Speaking of our errant immortal, we find him currently soaring into the upper stratosphere, courtesy of a punch to the kisser from the perpetually PMSing object of his one-sided affections, Narusegawa Naru. Why you ask? Well it all comes down to the girl's negligence in reading a blatantly obvious sign and Keitaro carrying out his usual unappreciated duties (Read: Forced labor) of cleaning the onsen.

Now normally the immortal would land in one of a number of predetermined areas, usually with small crowds waiting to pat him on the back and offer a word of kindness or a pint depending on his mood/mental state, but fate, that ever sneaky bastard, had other plans for the teen this day.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The co-pilot of the Boeing 747 blinked, before rubbing his eyes in abject disbelief; when the image refused to vanish he turned to his superior with a nervous look on his face. "Just ignore it junior." The elder airman instructed calmly, as if the sight of a terrified, bespectacled man plastered against the nose of the airplane was normal, "He usually falls of around Okinawa."

"But sir!" the Co-pilot yelled, gazing at his superior in growing alarm "We're over the ocean! We left Japan behind ten minutes ago!"

The Captain blinked, before gazing over his shoulder at the radar, which showed they'd indeed left the shores of Japan behind long ago. "Guess we'll be arriving there ahead of schedule then." He muttered, breaking protocol and deciding to get the plane to its destination as soon as possible.

After all, his granddaughter would be devastated if the 'missile man' froze or fell to a painful death while on HIS plane.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Naru-sempai?" a timid voice called out, the owner a blue haired girl by the name of Maehara Shinobu, resident chef and Jailbait of the Hinata sou "Dinner's ready." She looked around in confusion "Where's Keitaro-sempai?"

"Who cares?" Naru snapped, still peeved at the nerve of the bastard she knew as her landlord and apparent suitor as she made her way down the stairs from yet another private cram session "He can rot in hell for all I care!"

"Problems in paradise?" voiced Kitsune, resident swindler and boozehound of Hinata-sou, "Don't tell me he caught you in the bath again?"

Off to the side, Aoyama Motoko growled as she fingered the hilt of her sword. Keitaro would most certainly be having words with her later, and by words we mean running for his life for fear of death via castration.

"Ano…didn't you read the sign?" Shinobu asked confusedly, catching the elder tenants off guard, "Sempai asked me to put it up before he went in, it was still up when I came to get you."

Naru flushed, before turning to face the other way, "The baka obviously took it down when you left!" she insisted.

"Then who put it up again?" Kitsune asked, grinning as she teased her best friend mercilessly. If anything else watching the two Toudai hopefuls clash was better than a soap opera. "Guess Keitaro's in the right this time." She grinned and took a sip of Sake, 'Won't stop him from apologizing when he comes home though.' She muttered to herself in disappointment.

Motoko sniffed and turned back to her food without another thought on the matter, for while the Kanrinin had escaped death at her hands this time, it still didn't mean she accepted him. Naru merely huffed and continued her meal, whilst Shinobu tried, without much success, to keep Su from devouring the table along with her food.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keitaro moaned as he came to, wincing at the cold that engulfed his body as the harsh winds ripped at his already tattered clothes. He had fallen asleep sometime over the South Pacific, and was currently rather grateful of the G-forces pinning him in place, he doubted he'd have managed to hold on without them and didn't fancy his chances of swimming back to Japan, or even the mainland, even if he survived the collision with the water's surface from this height.

As it was, the errant immortal managed to take in the slight increase in temperature when, without warning, the plane jumped, dislodging the twenty-one year old just enough that the aforementioned G-forces finally succeeded in tearing him from his precarious perch on the nose, sending him hurtling to the ground below screaming at the top of his lungs.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Damn turbulence!" the co-pilot cursed, bracing himself to steady the plane, only to blink as he noticed their impromptu hood ornament had been dislodged during the last jump in the flight plan "CAPTAIN!"

"Relax." The older man replied, the epitome of calm as he leant back in his chair "We're currently passing over South America, en route to Brazil, at the very least he'll land in some trees rather than the ocean."

"But sir! He'll be killed!" the co-pilot countered, only to blink as the navigator patted him on the shoulder.

"You're new right?" the man noted kindly, "Trust me, it'll take more than a fall to kill that guy." He nodded at the screen, where a green dot with Keitaro's chibified face was shown falling away from the plane, "Trust me, he's been through worse."

"We better not let the authorities in Brazil know." The captain cautioned, sitting up straight with a frown on his features as he watched the skies ahead for rough patches "They'd lock him up for experiments if we did."

"So what'll we do?" the Navigator asked, only for the captain to wave his hand dismissively.

"For starters, take over for a sec would ya?" he asked, getting to his feet with a weary grunt "I've been dying to take a piss since we passed the Atlantic."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'Why me?' Keitaro wondered, weeping humorously as he plummeted to earth like the world's most pathetic meteor, 'What did I ever do to deserve this? All I ever wanted was to get into Tokyo U, was that too much to ask?'

He wept as his life flashed before his eyes for what must have been the umpteenth time, all the torment he'd suffered, all the anguish he'd endured, just to be able to keep a promise he'd made to a little girl he couldn't for the life of him remember. Hell, even her voice was a fabrication, an angelic choir that haunted his waking dreams as he literally wore himself out trying to reach his lofty goal.

He winced as he recalled the first time he'd set foot at the inn since that day, how the girls, Naru and Motoko in particular, had done everything to have him thrown out on his ass. In the absence of said females, his severely battered masculine pride sparked slightly at the indignity. "JUST WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WAN'T FROM ME?!" he screamed into the air hysterically "HAVEN'T I SUFFERED ENOUGH? WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT?!"

As if to answer his question, a missile flew out of practically nowhere and crashed into the hapless ronin, diverting his course by a few centimeters, sending him hurtling towards a particular patch of rainforest, trailing smoke as he did.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Jinkies! Did you hear that?" a blonde American wondered, ducking her head as she waited for the dying echo of the explosion to fade away.

"Sounded like a direct hit." Her furry companion noted, gazing upwards, noting with relief that their escort was still airborne, though trailing smoke as he dodged the nasty people trying to shoot him out of the sky, "Probably hit one of their own guys."

"I hope so!" the blonde exclaimed, the duo waiting as the sound of copter engines died away, "Anyway, this is really unlike you Cheetah, normally I have to drag you along on these adventures, now you're all get up and go!"

The aptly named lycanthrope winced, and held up her hands embarrassedly, "Well to tell the truth," she admitted, "I'm about 60 thousand dollars over my credit card limit and this is the fastest way I know to make some major dinero."

'Without breaking the law that is…' she mentally added, though her adopted sister didn't need to know that, as it would NEVER happen…probably.

"Flat broke again Hm?" the blonde sighed, shaking her head as she looked up at her adopted sibling in resigned understanding, she'd been in the same boat herself more than once in the past "Figures."

"So how're we gonna find this lost temple of gold?" Cheetah asked, only to blink as her right ear twitched, looking up in the air warily in case the attack choppers had decided to come back "You hear that Gina?"

"Hear what?" the shorter of the two asked, looking around nervously. As a were-cheetah, her adopted sibling had a vast variety of superior senses compared to her own, making it hard for the numerous nasties they encountered to sneak up on her. Even if they did, her lycanthrope status gave her the power, speed and resilience to take them out before they did, provided they weren't armed with magic or silver. Gina, being an ordinary, if intellectually gifted, human being did NOT posses such abilities, which was the reason the two were often adventure buddies.

"A high pitched wail." Cheetah muttered, looking around in confusion, "It's getting closer."

"You sure?" Gina asked, pulling one of her patented death rays out of her trusty backpack, much to her sibling's ire. "I can't hear-"

"-AAAAAAAANZAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIII!"

Gina shrieked as something dark and singed crashed through the canopy and collided with her sister, sending the startled lycanthrope to the floor in a tangle of limbs. She hesitated to point her blaster at them however; even if Cheetah COULD survive being vaporized it didn't mean she'd appreciated having to regenerate. Because of her hesitation she was granted a better view of the situation, and quickly had to suppress a giggle at the sight.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keitaro moaned, his whole body felt like a Gundam had stepped it on, before being scraped off on a wall as the pilot realized he'd stepped in something nasty. He wondered just where in the hell he'd landed this time that the natives saw fit to target him with surface-to-air missiles, some small part dreading the possibility he had returned to Hinata-Sou, only to blink as his hand came into contact with a strange fuzzy mound. Confused, he gave it a squeeze, trying to determine what it was.

'The shape's familiar,' he reasoned, 'but this texture…feels like that old fur rug Haruka-Baachan has in her room.' He shivered as his senses came together, his last memory being of falling through the canopy on top of what appeared to be a person, and knowing how his luck worked, he was certain said person was female. He was even MORE certain that he'd landed in a precarious situation, which would mean he was currently feeling her up, meaning she would in turn be very mad.

He blinked dazedly as a low rumbling noise caught his attention, causing him to raise his head to reveal that yes, he HAD crashed into someone, yes she WAS indeed female, yes they WERE in a precarious position, his knee between her thighs and his hand on one of her ample, make that BOUNTIFUL breasts, and she was certainly very angry.

He barely had time to wonder why she was dressed as a cat-girl before a blow infinitely more powerful than the dreaded Naru-punch slammed into his face, sending him flying through a tree, leaving a trench behind him.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Little perv!" Cheetah snapped, face red in mortification as she tried to fix her top from where said assailant had felt her up, a feeling of immense violation filling her being "I'm gonna rip 'im in two!"

"Easy Cheats!" Gina implored, though for the life of her she couldn't shake the look of abject disbelief from her face "Didn't you see the state he was in? And the way he fell like that COULDN'T have been planned! He probably didn't mean to do that!"

"The hell he didn't!" Cheetah snapped, trying to step around her sister, fangs elongating in her ire as she subconciously slipped into a more feral state "The little perv was feeling me up the whole time!"

"He'd just landed out of the blue and was confused!" Gina countered, though honestly surprised she was being so understanding, if it'd been her in her sister's place, she'd probably be reacting the same way "Didn't you see the look of fear on his face when he saw you?"

"He's about to see a lot worse!" Cheetah growled, though it was in a calmer tone, her ire having quickly burned out under her sister's argument.

"Just calm down." Gina instructed, used to her sibling's temper "Yes he felt you up, but you got even by punching him through the…tree…"

She trailed off, the two turning pale as they realized the same thing. Cheetah had the strength to reduce a boulder to pebbles or effortlessly hurl a Volkswagen through a stone wall, and while human enemies were more common than the monstrous types, Cheetah had always refrained from using full force to avoid fatalities.

"C'mon!" the lycanthrope yelled, grabbing her sibling and dashing after along the trench the man had left "He went this way!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Urashima Haruka's eyebrow rose as the chime above her door sounded, heralding not the overdue arrival of her seemingly immortal cousin, but an anxious looking, even more so than usual, Maehara Shinobu. "Haruka-san?" the resident chef queried nervously, looking up at the former dorm-mother hopefully "Have you seen sempai around?"

"Not today." The elder Urashima countered, exhaling a cloud of smoke as she shook her head, "Which is odd, he normally marches in here to mope around for a bit."

Shinobu began to fuss with her skirt, anxiety and concern for Keitaro lining her face as she tried to figure out what to do. The immortal Ronin had never disappeared for this long, save for the times he'd gone on trips, but even then he'd left some notice of his intentions in the form of overly dramatic letters or far too confusing phone calls which, of course, led to everyone going out to look for him to drag him back, sometimes trussed up like a turkey.

"Hey now." Haruka offered consolingly, ruffling the girl's hair "You know Keitaro, wouldn't die if you blasted him with a nuke." She winced at the image, making a mental note to forbid Su from testing it out for kicks. Her words did have the desired effect however, the meek girl smiling and nodding at the absolute certainty that if anything else, Keitaro was immortal and couldn't be killed by anything short of an act of God; who seemed to enjoy tormenting the poor Ronin far too much to just let him die peacefully.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'I'm dead.' Keitaro muttered, refusing to open his eyes, because he just knew that if he did there'd be a woman in some state of undress waiting to accuse him of being a pervert and make his thought a reality 'So this is it huh? Never got into Tokyo U, never had a girlfriend outside my dreams.' He winced as he imagined the faceless form of the adult promise girl waving at him, the receding image of Tokyo University vanishing along with her 'KUSO! IF I'D KNOWN THIS WOULD HAPPEN I'D HAVE AT LEAST GOTTEN LAID!'

He flinched as something cold was pressed on his head, wondering hysterically if he was about to be eaten, only to blink as a voice spoke out in amazement in a language he dimly recognized as English from his tutoring sessions with Haruka.

"Jinkies!" an excited, FEMALE voice exclaimed, "Can you believe this Cheetah? Even after everything he's been through he's unharmed!"

"Think he's another lycanthrope?" a second voice asked, sounding oddly interested, the Ronin's fractured memory of the language making him miss the last word. He cracked one eye open slightly, fighting the urge to let his eyes simply bug out at the proximity of the smaller woman's assets to his face. "Don't think so, otherwise that last blow would've killed him." she countered, looking up at the one he assumed was a cosplayer, before turning to look at him closely "Hey, I think he's awake."

Keitaro went very still, hoping, as most men do in these situations, that if he didn't move, speak or even breath, he'd simply disappear. From the look on his captors' faces not only was this failing, as always, but he was failing in a rather spectacular way. "Are you alright?" the shorter of the two asked, holding up a hand placatingly "Can you understand me?"

"A…little." Keitaro winced in broken English, his accent deplorable due to lack of practice. "Where…I am?"

The blonde frowned, before scrutinizing his features carefully for a few seconds and smiling. _"Can you understand me now?"_ she asked in perfect Japanese, startling the other two.

"_Y-yes." _Keitaro stammered, shocked at hearing his own tongue spoken so well, not to mention mortally embarrassed at his own pathetic attempts at English. i mean he'd only been practicing with Seta for a few sessions, but first impressions were vital right?

"_You had quite a spill." _The blonde continued, looking him over carefully, as if checking him out for injuries _"It's a miracle you're unhurt."_

"_Nah,"_ Keitaro assured her, rubbing his head in embarrassment,_ "Happens all the time, I'm pretty resilient."_

"Would you two stop speaking Swahili for a second and tell me what's going on?" the cosplayer growled in English, startling Keitaro, who shied away from her fearfully.

"We're not speaking Swahili Cheetah!" the blonde countered, switching back to English as she addressed her colleague "It's Japanese, he must be from Japan!"

"I could care less if he's from Mars." The furry one countered, arms crossed as she took in the trembling form before her concernedly, honestly a little guilty concerning her reaction from earlier "Just ask what he's doing here."

"I was just about to!" the shorter one countered, before sighing and turning back to the Ronin,_ "Sorry about my sister, you gave her quite a scare earlier."_

"_I'm sure."_ Keitaro replied with a wince, bowing his head at the taller woman apologetically,_ "Sumimasen."_

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"He said sorry." Gina translated, before turning to take in the figure before her analytically. He had a light, scrawny build that most definitely wrote him out of her book of hunks, if anything he looked like he'd been stuck behind a desk all his life. His clothes, what was left of them anyways, consisted of a pair of shorts, sandals and a T-shirt, which had obviously seen better days.

On the plus side, he had absolutely adorable chocolate brown eyes, albeit hidden behind the dorkiest glasses she'd ever laid eyes on. And from what she'd determined from her prior 'examinations' he had a pretty nice tush.

That being said, his face looked WAY to young for her, probably only just finishing high school, something the 23 year-old didn't really think was dating material. "_So how'd you get here?"_ she asked kindly _"I mean, people falling from the sky isn't something you see every day."_

"Y_ou've never been to Hinata city have you?"_ the man chuckled, wincing as his spine popped at the movement,patting it tenderly with his fist _"It's a regular occurrence over there…unfortunately."_

"_Is that where you're from?" _Gina asked, _"Is it in Japan?"_ at the nod she blinked in confusion _"Then how did you manage to get to Peru?"_ she asked, honest intrigue on her face as the man started to chuckle.

"_Caught a plane."_ The man joked weakly, only to blink as Gina's words sunk in, his eyes widening and face paling slightly as he turned to lok at her"_Wait a sec…Peru? Isn't that in South America?"_

"_Erm, yes?"_ Gina replied, only to blink as the spectacled man slumped limply, a funeral tone sounding above his head.

"_Great, just when I thought things couldn't get any worse." _He muttered, gripping his head in both hands as he shook it from side to side, a picture of utter dejection _"I'll never get into Tokyo U. like this."_

"_Tokyo U?"_ Gina repeated, looking the man up and down _"You're already trying for college at your age?"_

"_I'm 21!" _the man exclaimed, embarrassed at his baby-face for the umpteenth time, causing Gina to blush in embarrassment as she realised her mistake.

"_Sorry!"_ she exclaimed, holding up her hands apologetically "_you just look so, well…young!"_

"_I get that a lot." _The man sighed, though it was with an air of geniality as he looked her in the eyes, flicking between her and Brittany, who was standing silently behind her_ "So who are you two?"_

"_I'm Gina Diggers."_ Gina greeted with a kind smile, before gesturing up at her adoptive sibling with her hand, "_The walking shag carpet is my little sister, Brittany 'Cheetah' Diggers."_

"_Little sister?"_ the man repeated, sweat dropping at the nearly seven-foot form of finely toned muscle and fur towering over him. It didn't take a genius to understand the confusion on his face.

"_Long story." _Gina replied, not willing to go into the details just yet, it was Brittany's story after all, promptly holding out a hand for him to shake_ "And your name?"_

"_Urashima Keitaro."_ Keitaro replied, smiling and shaking her hand carefully, earning a smile in return.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So lemme get this straight." Brittany muttered, as Keitaro sat across from them, legs crossed and hands on his feet. "He's the manager of an all girls dormitory who failed to get into this big time university back in Japan twice now?"

"That's what he said," Gina replied, sitting cross-legged on a fallen tree-trunk as she spoke, her hands on her knees "Apparently his grandma appointed him as manager so she could tour the world."

"And the reason he fell on me like a perverted cruise missile is because one of said lodgers punched him into the path of a passing jumbo jet en-route to Brazil?" Brittany continued, looking more skeptical by the minute, "I dunno Gina, something about this seems fishy, there's no way it can be true."

"People still say the exact same thing about lycanthropes," Gina pointed out, looking her sibling up and down "and anyway, it's not like we haven't heard of people that strong before, you for one, and mom…"

"Okay I get it." Brittany muttered, rubbing her head stubbornly before looking over at Keitaro, who promptly blushed as she met his gaze and quickly looked the other way "What's his problem?"

Gina turned to the Ronin and asked him something in Japanese, only to blink and giggle at the man's reply. "He says your cosplay outfit's very lifelike." She teased, earning a look of confusion from the lycanthrope.

"Cosplay?" she repeated, looking affronted "This ain't no costume!" she countered, posing for emphasis "I'm all real!"

Keitaro flushed and averted his eyes, earning a giggle from Gina at how adorable he looked. "Give it a rest Brit, I think he's embarrassed."

"Probably never seen a real woman before." Brittany noted, smirking as she leant against the tree. Back in Japan, several women sneezed violently, two blaming it on the errant Ronin, two cursing as their sake/cigarette needed replacing, one passing out in a dead faint, another two scolding their respective pets, who either cooed or hissed at the unjust accusation. "So what do we do with him?" Brittany asked, titling her head towards the Ronin for emphasis "Can't just leave him here."

"We can bring him with us." Gina replied, smiling up at her adopted sibling "He can help carry stuff out of the temple for us! That, and I want to see just how he managed to recover like that."

"He isn't a guinea pig you know." Brittany pointed out, only to sigh as her sister started rambling on about 'healing factors' and 'nano-tech' and all sorts of technological mumbo jumbo, Keitaro staring between them confusedly, only catching the odd word out.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back in Hinata, in a rather impressive building at the town center, the City council was having a meeting. Now normally such matters wouldn't be of much interest, since everyone knew the tax payers money would just be wasted on the numerous repairs and improvements the city needed.

However, this meeting has great relevance to the story, as it concerned a certain errant immortal Kanrinin.

"It's been 24 hours and no sign of him anywhere." Someone pointed out, "Now I'll admit normally there's a lull between appearances but at the very least we should have seen some sign of him returning from the last one."

"Indeed," another pointed out, "all KLS (Keitaro Landing Sites) have reported no trace of him, and the patented KFT (Keitaro Flight Trajectory) Systems can't seem to provide any guesses either."

"You think perhaps someone moved him?" a third suggested aloud, earning a round of mutters from the group.

"Unlikely." The first countered, "At the very least, if he landed in a new area he'd have raised a fuss, the police and ambulances would have been contacted and the media alerted." He held his hands up, "Gentlemen, I fear we may have to face one of two dilemmas, either an outside party got to Keitaro-san before the authorities…or he quite simply didn't survive this time."

The hall fell silent, nobody liking the idea of Hinata's greatest tourist attraction being snuffed out. Many floundering businesses had begun to make a profit providing views of his flight paths, there were even discussions of producing a range of 'Missile Man' toys and collectables to sell to tourists, with Keitaro receiving a modest, if secretive, cut of course.

"We cannot think about such things." An elderly voice cut in, everyone turning to address the mayor of Hinata as he sat in the chair at the head of the table, flanked by one of his attendants. "We are to investigate the disappearance of Urashima Keitaro-kun with everything we have."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keitaro sneezed suddenly, looking around in confusion as he wiped his nose. 'Someone must be talking about me.' He reasoned, shivering in fear at the thought. He kept looking over his shoulder, as if expecting Naru to come lunging out of the woods, dressed in fatigues and wielding a bloody machete as she threatened to kill him for flirting.

"You okay?" Brittany asked, to which he nodded after a moment. The Ronin still couldn't believe he was walking alongside an actual lycanthrope, some small part of him wondering if he was still pressed to the nose of the plane, slowly going insane as his brain was denied oxygen.

"_So why are you trying to get into Tokyo university?"_ Gina asked curiously, drawing the Ronin's attention back to herself "_I mean, you must have a reason for trying again after failing three times."_

"Y_ou'll probably laugh,"_ Keitaro muttered, only to sigh as her blue eyes urged him to go on, "_you see, when I was a little kid, I made this promise with a girl…that we'd go to Tokyo U. together."_ He chuckled, scratching his head in embarrassment, _"Sounds stupid huh?"_

"How romantic!" Gina squealed, inadvertently switching to English as she did so, startling Brittany, who stumbled into the path of a tree.

"What is?" the lycanthrope asked, looking over her shoulder in annoyance as Gina beckoned her closer, only to join her sibling in hysterics as Gina filled her in, "Who'd a thought a geek like him had a heart huh?"

"That isn't nice." Gina countered, turning back to Keitaro, who had been standing there watching them gush with trepidation, feeling a little put on _"So I guess things haven't been going that well huh?"_

"_Actually, I sort of passed the test the first time." _Keitaro admitted, _"But my answer sheet was so messed up they wouldn't accept it. The second time I forgot half the answers and the third, well…" _he lowered his head as a cloud formed over it, _"I daydreamed through the whole thing and only had five minutes left to write my answers."_

The Diggers sisters sweatdropped at the sight, looking at each other warily, Gina shaking her head in a 'you don't wanna know' manner, before patting the Ronin on the back. "_There, there."_ She assured him, a gentle smile on her face as she broke him out of his thoughts _"It can't be that bad."_

"_You're right, it's worse."_ Keitaro muttered, _"On top of everything, every time I try to make life easier at the dorms, something happens that makes me out to look like a pervert!"_ he threw his hands in the air, _"I practically kill myself to make them happy, but from the get go all Motoko does is threaten me with that stupid katana of hers, Kitsune steals my savings and flirts with me in front of everyone to get me in trouble, Su's a kid so she has an excuse, but Naru!"_

He trailed off, holding his head in his hands as he tried to sort himself out. Gina blinked, patting the man on the back comfortingly while Brittany looked on in confusion.

"_I really do try."_ Keitaro stated sadly after a moment _"But every time I do I either trip over my own damn feet or walk in without knocking! Heck! One time I got beat up for BREATHING too loudly!" _He removed his damaged specs and wiped his eyes, before replacing them carefully on his face. _"And I bet the girl's gone already.'_ He muttered, "_probably forgot all about me and graduated with some other guy."_

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gina didn't know what to say, one minute the teen had been ranting on about how unfair everything was and now he looked like he was about to break down. She reached out, putting a hand on his shoulder to get his attention, smiling at him cheerfully. "_Aw c'mon Keitaro! Buck up!"_ she put her arm around his shoulder, grinning at the flush that rose to his face, noting also the involuntary flinch he made at the sudden contact, _"So life's thrown you a few lemons, just make juice out of them!" _She grinned at the teen and pinched his cheeks, _"So what if she graduated? Her loss I say!"_ she looked him up and down, _"You know with a tan and a change of specs…"_

"I know THAT look." Brittany muttered with a deadpan expression, earning a look from her sister as she nodded towards Keitaro "I'd watch out if I were you Keitaro, she's likely to jump ya in your sleep."

"I am not!" Gina countered, red in the face, Keitaro looking between them in confusion. The two were so engrossed in their argument that they didn't notice the figure rising up behind Cheetah from the brush. Keitaro however DID, his danger senses, highly toned by the trials of Hinata-Sou, setting off a warning klaxon as the beast reared itself out of the foliage.

"ABANAI!" the immortal Kanrinin yelled out, leaping forwards in a surprising show of bravery, pushing Gina out of the way of the shadowy figure. As luck would have it however, the karmic cycle of the universe had once again run its course, the petty Gods of discord demanding their daily slapstick intake.

And so it was that Keitaro somehow tripped over a root that hadn't been there five seconds ago, stumbling forward with his arms flailing, grabbing a hold of something he realized in horror was most definitely NOT plant life and pulling it down to the earth with him.

Silence reigned for a good minute, before two high-pitched screams filled the air.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And so it begins...This work of fiction was, again, Inspired by Ice-Tea-1983's Black Paw, combining Gold Digger with Manga/Anime goodness.

In My case, I picked Love Hina, Why? Cause Keitaro doesn't get enough love.

Expect several cameos from other series' in this work, but the main influences will be Gold Digger & Gold Digger...with references to two other series to be revealed later.

Please leave your comments in a review.

Ciao!

Kyugan.

To Sketchfan: Here goes nuthin' bro!

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

Due to the overall success of the first chapter...I haven't been flamed yet, here's the second one.

Note: _"talking like this"_ for the moment, represents Japanese.

* * *

Chapter 2.

Haruka ground the stub of her cigarette into the overflowing ashtray, a scowl on her face that would have made a mountain get out of her path.

It had been three days now, three days and not a peep out of her errant cousin.

Now Haruka was may things, most of those very dangerous things, but there was one thing she abhorred more than anything else, and that was anything bad happening to her Keitaro, the only family member other than Granny Hina that mattered to her. In her youth, back when she had to baby-sit the boy, they had been nigh inseparable, she spoiled the brat rotten, as he was one of the very few people that could get her to smile simply for being what he was. Whenever he was bullied, he always ran to her, sure it got annoying having to listen to lectures about beating up kids, but it was worth it just to keep him safe.

One time he was run over by a car, it was then that his infamous immortality reared its infamous head. Shortly afterwards he began to spend more time at the inn, for 'treatment' his parents had said. Haruka hadn't said anything back then, but even then she'd had noticed the looks Keitaro's mother had given her own son, how she'd avoided touching him if she could help it, like he was diseased. Haruka had lost count of the times the boy had crawled into bed beside her, how she'd hold him gently until he fell into peaceful slumber denied in his mother's embrace.

A few years later, after the revelation that Keitaro's mother couldn't conceive anymore, the woman badgered her husband to adopt. On the plus side, Keitaro received a little sister to play with; on the other hand, with Haruka starting high school, the two saw each other less and less. They lost contact after she went to college, and it wasn't until Keitaro himself turned up at the converted inn that Haruka saw her Kei-chan again. True he kept mistaking her fer her own, long dead mother, but then that was Keitaro for you.

Now Naru's unfounded act of anger had possibly driven the man away yet again, something Haruka had tolerated thus far through the utilization of every ounce of self-control she'd accumulated over the years since her retirement from the field.

But no more, heads were going to roll, and if Keitaro wasn't found soon they were going to be strung up and set alight as well.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Inside the dorms, everything seemed as normal. That is, normal for a funeral parlor.

Kitsune lounged, as always on the sofa in front of the TV, a bottle of sake within reach as she idly watched the news. If someone were to ask her what she was doing she'd merely reply with a grunt and go back to viewing. In the kitchen, Maehara Shinobu worked away at the ingredients for dinner, though without her usual luster. If anything, the girl seemed to be only going through the motions, a good sign of this being that the food was only slightly more appetizing than Motoko's cooking, which was bland on a good day.

Speaking of the resident Kendo-ka, she was currently on the roof practicing her strikes, grimacing as she realized that instead of doing better, she was actually doing worse. As a member of the legendary Shinmeiryuu School, she was more in tune with her surroundings than her fellow tenants, so she was the first to notice that the atmosphere around the inn had taken on a dull, almost leaden feeling. It was as if something had sucked the life right out of the area, leaving the tenants in a dull, humdrum shell of what had been their home.

Even the normally energetic Su was acting like she'd run out of juice. She still ate, but it was less than normal, (she didn't try to eat the table), she'd stopped bouncing off the walls in favour of sulking by the windowsills, heck she'd even given up on chasing Tama-chan! Though this was partially because the turtle had disappeared two days after Keitaro, taking the only working Keitaro radar with her, and without a 'sample' to provide the base of another, the Molmolian princess had no way of tracking down her favorite playmate/moving target.

Mutsumi seemed the only one physically unfazed by everything, but seeing as the anemic woman could appear clinically dead for a minute if struck by a passing breeze, that wasn't saying much. However, if anyone were to look closely they'd realize she was acting slightly less ditzy, and that whenever Naru entered the room, Mutsumi would leave either just before or slightly after.

Naru, of course, refused to accept any responsibility for Keitaro's disappearance, and Mutsumi's shunning of their practice sessions left the Todai hopeful in a foul temper. What had SHE done wrong? Keitaro did something stupid, she or Motoko, or both, retaliated, and he came crawling back to apologize like the good for nothing pervert he was, and everyone was happy. It was standard routine!

Only this time the pervert hadn't returned, so now everyone was shooting HER looks, like it was HER fault everything was going downhill. Motoko said nothing, but this meant little, as the Kendo-ka seemed more withdrawn lately, Kitsune and Su merely lounged around, not wanting to do anything, Mutsumi had all but turned her back on her fellow Todai aspirant, and Shinobu? Naru wondered if she'd even seen the timid girl for more than a few seconds everyday.

It was like they were avoiding her, like she was some dangerous animal that had barged into their lives and was refusing to let them leave.

'This is all that pervert's fault!' the emotionally repressed girl accused, falling back on the old stand-by of 'when in doubt: blame Keitaro', 'he's probably off flirting with some bimbos right now!'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keitaro just knew he was in trouble when he tripped over the root, this was certified when his desperate attempts to grab onto something resulted in him grabbing a distinctly cloth-like object and pulling it down to the ground with him.

As he lay there, waiting for the BRFW (Blow of 'Righteous' Feminine Wrath), he became dimly aware that what he was holding could only be described as a towel, or failing that, a loincloth. Second, there was a pair of bare, distinctly MALE feet standing next to him, though covered in what looked suspiciously like tiger fur. Looking up revealed the shocked, and most definitely alarmed features of what could only be described as a tiger-man, who seemed to only now be coming to the conclusion that his goods were currently all on display.

Two feminine squeals tore through the air, the males snapping round to espy the Diggers sisters giggling and pointing at the sight. The tiger-man blushed an unusual shade of red, noticeable despite the thick fur, before leaping backwards so a handy bush concealed his lower body from their wandering eyes, though not before Gina could get a snapshot off.

"That ones definitely going onto my hard drive!" Gina exclaimed, lowering the digital camera as she grinned at her sibling, who was giggling like a schoogirl, quite a sight considering she was seven feet of compact muscle "weren't expecting that were you?"

"Did you see the look on his face!" Brittany giggled, holding her sides in mirth as she looked over at the bushes "Looked like a little lost kitten!"

Keitaro, a feeling of odd camaraderie coming over him, looked over at the mortified beast-man and held out his loincloth "Sorry." He offered, his accent heavy and broken, but his meaning clear in his expression "Not mean to."

The striped native nodded and took the loincloth, refastening it and walking out of the bush with as much dignity as he could afford to spare "I'm sorry for startling you." He offered, trying to ignore Brittany's hungry eyes as she eyed him like a slab of meat "But I must ask that you turn back."

"Why?" Gina asked, stashing away her camera as she spoke, swearing to all that was holy that she would not let anything happen to it "Is there something ahead we should know of? And who exactly are you?"

"I am Stripe." The man replied formally "The area you were advancing towards was once my home," his gaze grew heavy "now it is home to a dark evil, and I must prevent you from suffering the same fate as my people."

"Are," Brittany began, looking at the striped man hopefully, "Are you a were-cat like me?"

"I'm afraid not," Stripe countered, looking slightly confused at the term as he shook his head "I and the rest of my kind are called Kryn."

"Jinkies!" Gina exclaimed, her eyes widening in excitement "A race of catlike humanoids living right here in South America!" she nudged Keitaro playfully, "And THIS one in particular is making Cheetah blush!"

"GINA!" Brittany snapped, a flush adorning her features as she rounded on the two, Keitaro taking shelter behind Gina out of instinctive terror. Well, what would YOU do if a were-cat started glaring holes at you?

"You've never blushed over a guy before!" Gina teased, sweat dropping at Keitaro's use of her as a meat-shield "Besides, he's cute right?"

Brittany scoffed, turning back to face the Kryn while Gina tried to reassure Keitaro he wasn't about to become Cheetah-chow "I appreciate your concern Stripe." The lycanthrope stated, "But we MUST seek out the temple of gold, we won't turn back."

"Then I'll come with you." Stripe replied, gesturing with his hand down a hidden path through the undergrowth "Perhaps together we can ward off the evil that lurks inside."

Even though he could only understand the odd word, Keitaro couldn't help the feeling of impending doom at the Kryn's words.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Have there been any reports as to the whereabouts of Urashima Keitaro?" the head of the council asked, eyeing his colleagues carefully, only to sigh as they pointedly looked away from his gaze "I see, this is indeed a predicament."

"Chairman." One of the members asked whilst standing up, "So far all of our resources have turned up naught, I'm afraid that we may have to take drastic measures if we are to ensure his survival."

"But isn't THAT going too far?" a second council member asked imploringly, concern and a hint of nervousness in his voice as he looked around the chamber "After all, they may be the cause but they're only children."

"Only two of those involved in this dilemma can be considered children." A third councilman countered, his tone dismissive and decidedly cold "The others are legally adults, or will be in a year or so."

"Still!" the second voice implored, getting to his feet to further illustrate his point, hands wide as he looked around "I'm as desperate to have the man tracked down as you, but there's a limit to how much we can do!"

"Limit?" the first repeated, "Has there been any 'limits' on our budget and profits since Urashima Keitaro took up residency here in Hinata?" he turned his gaze to the other council members "How many of us have seen our once failing venues skyrocket upon his arrival?" at the looks on the faces of his peers he nodded, "Can we really allow ANYTHING to threaten the very lifeblood of our fair city?"

"You have made your point." The chairman muttered, tapping his cane on the floor like a gavel "And I approve it, just keep the damage to the minimum, we don't want Keitaro-kun returning to a war zone."

And with that, the Hinata Inquisition was set into motion.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keitaro sneezed, grimacing as he realized he'd inadvertently startled Stripe. The Kryn had been guiding them through the jungle for some time now, accessing a hidden door in a mountain side which had led to a massive cavern, big enough to fit the entire Tokyo university campus, with room to spare. The trip had been mostly uneventful; save for the kannrin activating every trap Stripe had set up to protect the entryway, despite being warned beforehand. Luckily said traps had been set up to ward off intruders, rather than kill, so the only thing that was bruised was his pride.

As it was, he was currently squatting near the Diggers, Stripe having gone on ahead to ensure the path was safe, meaning he was removing the rest of the traps before Keitaro could set them off, and for the past five minutes the two had been going on about something, the taller of the two seemingly quite excited.

Now Keitaro was no expert on females, he had the mental scars to prove it, and his English was far too coarse for him to be certain, but he'd seen enough of Kitsune's cheesy soaps to recognize the lycanthrope had developed one HELL of a crush on Stripe, and from the way she was practically swooning and hugging herself Stripe wouldn't know what hit him when she got her hands on him.

"_You okay Keitaro?"_ Gina called out to him, ignoring her giggling sister as she turned to their unexpected party member, noting his slight flinch at being addressed so suddenly "_Hope you're not feeling left out."_

"_Just homesick" _he assured her, resting his head against the cavern wall, _"That, and worried, who knows what's going on back at the inn."_

Gina blinked at the man's words in confusion. From what Keitaro had revealed during his introduction he should be HAPPY to be away from the dorms. She couldn't imagine some of the stuff he'd been put through since being railroaded into the job, let alone how one man could be so unlucky.

'Could it be a curse?' she wondered idly, honestly giving the idea some thought 'It seems to fit the profile, maybe he inadvertently got involved in something when he was a kid?' She was shaken out of her thoughts by the return of Stripe, holding out a hand to help Keitaro up, only to blink as he got up himself.

_"Trust me."_ Keitaro assured her morosely, though with an apologetic smile _"Something bad would've happened, I know my own luck."_

Gina blinked as they fell into step behind Stripe, missing the Kryn's introduction to his home until a glint of gold caught her attention. "ZOINKS!" she yelped, eyes widening in shock at the sheer amount of gold presented before her. Every street, every bench, hell even the buildings themselves was made of the stuff!

"EL DORADO?!" Keitaro squawked, eyes widening as he gaped around him in confusion "HOW? WHEN?!"

"I don't know exactly how long," Stripe replied, a hint of pride in his tone as he took in their awestruck faces "But apparently this gold was the only building material here when my ancestors built the city." He sighed, gazing at the silent towers sadly, whilst in the background Gina and Keitaro began gazing at the carvings in awe. He blinked as Brittany placed a hand on his shoulder, her sympathetic gaze warming his heart.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I've hit the mother load!" Gina exclaimed, ignorant of the fuzzy moment (pun intended) going on between her sister and the Kryn Prince, "Take that archaeology weekly! Gina Diggers strikes again!"

"_Gina-san!"_ Keitaro called out; holding up an urn that looked oddly out of place for the blonde to see, the three eyes gazing back at her certainly didn't look Aztec, or indiginous to peru for that matter _"Check out THIS beauty!"_

"_Good find!" _Gina exclaimed, marveling over how the Kanrinin had apparently pulled the thing out of thin air, especially since there wasn't anywhere to dig in except a nearby garden "_I've never seen a relic like this, and it's in perfect condition!"_

"What did you find there?" Stripe asked, walking up to them with a grumbling Cheetah on his heels, the were-cat muttering something about nerds, the Kryn blinking at the sight of the urn in the Ronin's hands "Where on earth did you get that?"

"Keitaro found it," Gina replied, holding it up for the Kryn to see better, marvelling at how well preserved the piece of pottery was after so long underground "Is it one of your relics? Should I leave it here?"

"I can honestly say I've never seen a pot like that before in my life." Stripe replied with a straight face, a little unnerved by the ever-watching eyes "And all our ancestral relics have been accounted for, whatever this is must have been here before El Dorado was built."

"Jinkies!" Gina exclaimed, eyeing the urn in amazement, a little unnerved at the ever-watchful eyes gazing back at her "This is incredible! Right Keitaro?" she blinked as she realized the man had disappeared "Keitaro?"

"_Wow! Gina-san!"_ the kannrin called out, startling the group as he held up another urn, the same eye motif around the neck looking out at everyone _"This thing looks like it's hundreds of years old!"_

"How the heck is he finding those things?" Brittany asked, a bead of sweat running down her head as the kannrin decimated some poor flowerbed in his desire to unearth as many things as possible "He doesn't even have any tools!"

"I'm not sure I want to know." Stripe replied nervously, as Gina leapt into the fray, the two nattering away in Japanese about Keitaro's latest find. He flinched as a shiver ran up his spine, dodging to the side as a stone fist missed his jaw by a hair. "Watch out!" he warned the group "If they come in contact with your blood you become like them!"

"DASKETE!"

Gina blinked, gasping as a veritable horde of stone Kryn, mostly female, ganged up on Keitaro, who was running around like his ass was on fire, arms waving comically in the air. "Hold on Keitaro!" she called out, pulling out one of her patented 'death star cannons', as Brittany put it and taking aim "Set phasers to flame-broil!" she yelled, before a concentrated burst of energy erupted from the barrel of her gun, knocking her off her feet. "Jinkies! That was my Tachyon Beam! I meant to use my Photon Charge!" she looked around desperately, "How many did I hit? And where's Keitaro?!"

"You totally missed all of them!" Brittany countered, sighing in relief, "The friggin' shockwave from the blast took out half though." She sweatdropped as she pointed at a singed figure staggering towards them "that is…I THINK you missed…"

Gina gaped at the staggering form of Keitaro, who had taken the brunt of the blast that could have leveled a small mountain, coming out of it looking like he'd been covered in soot. _"Are you okay?"_ she asked, only for him to give a victory sign before passing out on her chest.

"I swear!" Brittany seethed, picking the recumbent Ronin up and slapping him back to semi-consciousness "This guy's like bad luck personified!" she blinked as a stone hand grabbed her collar, hurling her though the air and into Stripe like a feline shot-putt. She whirled around to protect the Kryn, only for the last of the living statues to shatter under a burst of Photon energy.

"Isn't technology wonderful?" Gina asked, blowing on her barrel coyly, her free hand resting on her hip as she eyed her sister in bemusement "You can get up now Cheetah, and I SAW you coppin' a feel on Stripe! The shame!"

"I was NOT!" Brittany shot back, blushing at being caught out but willing to go down fighting, "I was bracing for a counter-attack." She sighed as she helped the Kryn to his feet, "Anyway, thanks for the save." She eyed the moaning form over her sister's shoulder "How's Keitaro?"

The Ronin, lying face down on the ground, raised his soot-stained face and repeated the victory signal with a weak smile that was more of a grimace, his glasses sporting numerous cracks. "Okay…desu." He managed to get out, a spurt of blood erupting from the top of his skull, earning sweat drops from the others.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'Looks like old Gold Digger struck it big this time, both in the wealth and the risk!' a figure noted, decked out in similar attire as Gina, only with an explorers hat rather than a stylish homage to Indiana. 'I've got to get to the really good stuff before she does though, the trouble is if I roam around in the open I'm sure to get jumped by those stone things!'

She turned to the concealed tunnel she'd uncovered with a smirk, 'Fortunately, this is just what the doctor ordered!'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All was quiet on the Hinata front, which was decidedly unnatural. Even on a slow day there should have been some noise coming from the old inn turned dorms. It was so quiet in fact, that most people were already heading for the hills, having attained sudden enlightenment that being in the general vicinity of the dorms would prove detrimental to their health and insurance policies.

Konno Mitsune, or Kitsune as she was more commonly known as, yawned lazily as she shut off the television. Not only had her horse failed to win the race again, the blasted nag actually had the audacity to drop dead just as the race started.

'Stupid thing didn't even clear it's freakin' stall!' she exclaimed miserably, arms behind her head, accentuating her bust as she walked down the hall with a huff 'on top of that, it's dull as hell around here! All the excitement's gone!'

Unlike the other tenants, Mitsune wasn't one to let much faze her. It took something big to startle the resident fox, but oh so little for her to startle others. Keitaro had been a primary source of her entertainment since he got here, not to mention the inspiration for her work as a writer, and source of a lot of her guilty nighttime fantasies, and with him gone the opportunities just seemed to dry up.

"God I wish something would happen around here." She muttered, only to scream as someone smashed trough the screen doors, dressed in full riot gear and carrying the biggest damn shotgun she'd ever seen. She turned on her heel, only to tumble over as a net was launched at her, wrapping her up tighter than some of the outfits she had stashed away in her 'private' chest.

Motoko came barreling down the stairs at the noise, sword at the ready as she prepared to handle the intruders, only for something that looked like an 'X' to be fired at her, slamming into her side and smashing her against the wall, out cold.

Su's cackling heralded the resident mad scientist descending the stairs, 'Ride of the Valkeries' playing on hidden speakers, her guns and a fleet of Mecha-Tama at the ready, only for the turtles to abruptly shut off, falling to the ground like hail as her guns sputtered and died, their energy drained, leaving the stunned Molmolian to secured before she could figure out what happened, handcuffed and set down beside a nervous Shinobu, who was the only one unrestrained.

"Majority of targets acquired." One of the assailants reported over an intercom in his black helmet whilst the others silently swept the area around them "Currently apprehending prime suspect."

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE YOU PERVERTS?!"

And with that, Narusegawa Naru launched herself at the intruders from around the corner, fist at the ready, preparing to vent all of her frustration on them in lieu of her usual punching bag. However, the difference between Keitaro and the group of armed assailants were that unlike the hapless Ronin, these guys were QUITE used to dealing with far worse threats than Naru provided.

That's why, rather than sending the closest intruder through the wall with her patented Naru-punch, the violent tempered ringleader of the Hinata Harem found herself staring down the barrels of several Riot Guns as they opened fire with a hail of rubber bullets, her last conscious thought before her head hit the floor being that this was somehow Keitaro's fault.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keitaro regained consciousness with a jolt, wondering why on earth he had the sudden urge to beg for forgiveness. He sat up, looking around to find he was currently alone with Gina, who was muttering to herself as she poured over some information in a book. _"Gina-san?"_ he called out, startling the adventurer out of her mutterings _"Where are Stripe-san and Cheetah-san?"_

"_Getting better acquainted."_ The blonde muttered sullenly, pouring over the data again with a huff, _"I swear, guys just fall all over her, whilst I gotta practically knock 'em over with a spiked club to get them to notice me!"_ she snorted, pouting in a manner that caused Keitaro to flush slightly _"God must hate me or something."_

"_That can't be right,"_ Keitaro countered reassuringly, _"I mean, you look pretty good to me."_ He blushed at what he just said, waving his arms before him defensively _"I mean…what I meant to say was…PLEASE DON'T HIT ME!"_

Gina blinked as the Ronin held up his arms to defend his face, fighting the urge to giggle at how adorable he looked, before shaking her head, _"Like what you see huh? Go ahead, it's free to look."_ She held up her blaster playfully,_ "But you touch it you buy it, got it?"_

"_Yes ma'am."_ Keitaro agreed, sighing in relief at not being accused of perverseness, only to blink as she stood up.

"_Come on,"_ Gina instructed, shouldering her pack as she looked over the details in her computer-book "_Let's see if we can find the center of the tower."_

Keitaro nodded, blinking as he picked up what felt like an arrowhead, gazing at it in confusion, wondering where it had come from. Shrugging it off, he put the sliver of stone in his back pocket, hoping it didn't fall out due to his clothes state of disrepair.

"_Gina-san." _He called out nervously, eyeing the silent city as he caught up to the woman, _"Don't you think it's a little too quiet?"_

"_Stripe said the whole city was turned into those stone things."_ Gina replied, not looking up from her book as she walked along, her brow furrowing cutely in thought _"It's only natural it would be quiet."_

"_Great,"_ Keitaro moaned, shaking his head ruefully _"I always wanted to play Biohazard, now I'm living it."_ He shivered as his hackles rose, looking up to espy the figure dropping towards Gina from above "_LOOK OUT!"_

Gina gasped as she was pushed out of the way, the two falling in a tangle of limbs, the contents of her backpack scattering across the floor, the fossilized Kryn landed badly on the floor behind them, legs shattering from the impact. She looked up, only to blink at how close Keitaro's chocolate brown eyes were to her own baby blues. A closer examination revealed they were currently in a rather precarious position, something that would have given Cheetah quite a bit of blackmail to lord over her if the Lycanthrope had been there.

"_S-sorry!"_ Keitaro exclaimed, backing away from her prone form as if she'd pulled a gun on him, a prospect that terrified him considering the type of heat she was packing _"I, I only meant to…I didn't mean to-!"_

"_Keitaro-san! Calm down!"_ Gina exclaimed, righting herself with a grunt "_It was an accident okay? You were just trying to…LOOK OUT!"_

Keitaro blinked, only to scream as the Kryn from before leaped at him, the two tussling on the ground as Gina dived for her gun, which had landed not too far away, the Ronin nearly wetting himself in terror as the things fangs clipped closer to his neck with each try.

"Hang on Keitaro!_"_ Gina called out, trying to take aim, but the two were far too close for her to get a decent shot. Deciding to go with what worked, she fired a warning shot, which the Kryn dodged, leaving a gasping Keitaro on the dirt. She yelped as the Kryn leapt at her instead, her stone hand slapping the weapon aside and pouncing on the blonde in one smooth motion.

"You two shall join us." The she-thing graveled, pinning the blonde adventurer down as she tried to lean forwards, only for Gina's computer book to bounce off her stone head, followed by a canteen and a few rocks.

"_Leave her alone!"_ Keitaro yelled, wondering why he seemed to be the only one who couldn't speak English here, eyes glancing off a red stone near his foot and picking it up to hurl at the beast, only to gape as she turned her attentions to him "Uh…naisu kitty…!" he stammered brokenly, only to yelp as the Kryn turned monster lunged at him, crossing his arms in front of his face defensively. A flash of light emanated from the stone in his palm, followed by something furry barreling into him, knocking him to the floor.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gina blinked, gazing in shock at the female, most definitely LIVING Kryn as she lay moaning atop the startled Ronin. She could see now what Keitaro had meant by his earlier comment, the way the two had landed would give anyone ideas, most definitely the wrong ones. _"Are you okay?" _she called out, dashing over and helping the confused Ronin from beneath his furry prison _"Jinkies, how'd you do that?"_

"_I don't know."_ Keitaro admitted, staring at the unconcious female in confusion, before remembering the stone in his hands, holding it up forGina to see _"But I think this had something to do with it."_

"_The gem of returning!"_ Gina exclaimed in understanding, taking the gem from the Ronin's unresisting grip and looking it over with renewed interest "_It must have some kind of magic power!"_

"_You won't see ME denying it!" _Keitaro agreed, eyeing the recumbent form of the female Kryn concernedly_ "Should we leave her out here like this?"_

Gina frowned, before shaking her head, _"We don't have time to wait for her to wake up, and besides, there could be more lurking around."_ She shouldered her pack, having gathered up everything as she spoke, _"Stash her out of sight under that bench, it'll have to do for now."_

Keitaro nodded, dragging the moaning form and stuffing her under a bench where, hopefully, no one would notice her _"What now?"_ he asked, eyeing his companion confusedly.

"_First."_ Gina muttered, _"We track down Stripe and Cheetah,"_ her eyes flashed dangerously _"And if they were making out while we were in trouble I'll give them such a pinch!"_

Keitaro sweatdropped at the scowl on her face, secretly glad that HE wasn't the intended victim this time round, only for his eyes to widen as a hand came out of the shadows and covered his mouth. "Keep your hands where I can see 'em Gold Digger!" a voice called out in a stage whisper, loud enough to be heard, low enough to avoid attracting undue attention. "Unless you like the idea of your friend here becoming a pincushion!"

Gina whirled around to gape in shock at the figure behind Keitaro. "Penny!" she exclaimed, partially out of disbelief, partially out of anger, at the sight of one of her fiercest rivals "Penny Pincher!"

"That's PINCER!" the other woman growled, pointing her crossbow at Keitaro's neck for emphasis, much to the man's horror. He didn't like the idea of being used as a shield, immortal or not.

"You screw with MY name and I'll screw with yours!" Gina countered, though she kept her arms in the air. Penny nodded, stepping forwards with Keitaro before her like a human shield until they were up close.

"I believe I'M the one with the upper hand this time." Penny stated, pressing forwards as she disarmed her rival, Keitaro beginning to sweat, as not only were Penny's breasts pressing into his back, his close proximity to Gina meant he was being effectively sandwiched between the two. "So first, I'll relieve you off the horrible hand cannon of yours…" she grinned as she tossed the gun aside, "Then get you back for the 'Melvin' you gave me back in Budapest!"

As Penny's hand shot forward to seek her revenge however, Gina instinctively took a step back, her rival's hand grabbing hold of the first article of clothing it could find, in this case the front of Keitaro's long abused shorts and pulling upwards savagely.

The sound of ripping fabric echoed throughout El Dorado, leaving Keitaro shivering at the sudden chill. 'This won't end well.' He predicted, just before two feminine screams filled the air once again.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

oh dear...looks like Keitaro's developing a bit of a 'pants thing' isn't he?

Feed me Reviews and I shall churn out chapters.

And yes, I hate Naru.

R&R or no goods for you!

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

Well, judging by the reviews, I think this one's well and truly past the front gate.

Also, thank you Cylone One for your many messages, I honestly didn't notice those errors.

Halibel: You should use spellcheck.

Kyuagn: I should shouldn't I? Roll camera.

The characters displayed in this work of fanfiction belong to their respective creators, I claim no rights of ownership save to this work of fanfiction...for now.

* * *

Chapter 3.

"How goes the interrogation?" one of the councilmen asked, a tall man with swept back black hair and the air of a carnivorous flamingo. The rather sullen head of the Hinata Police force, a grizzled veteran with a scar over one eye, saluted and shrugged dismissively.

"About as well as you'd expect." He muttered, chewing the end of his cigar with the air of someone experiencing agonizing bowl movement "Either they don't know where he is or they do and they're not letting on."

"Ah," flamingo noted, his fingers steepled before him in a manner that would remind most of towering peaks, dark nights, and lightning storms "In that case, could we presume they, in fact, stashed the body somewhere?"

"Perhaps." The commander noted, lighting up the cigar and shrugging in a non-committal manner as he tossed the match away into a corner, "Anyways, I've got one of my best officers interrogating the fox."

"This officer" the flamingo noted, one of his neatly plucked eyebrows rising ever so slightly "wouldn't happen to be that hulking fellow that was warned about carrying an anti-tank gun in lieu of the standard revolver would it?"

"Couldn't be helped sir," the commander noted in a way that hinted he was inwardly smiling, and even more inwardly laughing his arse off while dancing a jig "they're like Peashooters in his hands sir."

"Ah," the councilman noted, before turning his evaluating stare towards the door behind the commander, where the faint echoes of a large, booming voice could be heard, despite the reinforced armour plating, as it fired off the same questions repeatedly.

"Did you do it? Are you sure it wasn't you what did it? It was you what done it wasn't it?"

"YES!YES! I DID IT!" screamed the desperate voice of Konno Mitsune, AKA Kitsune, AKA the Hinata hustler, her voice rising above the repeated questions with manic desperation in every syllable "NOW PLEASE TELL ME WHAT IT WAS I DID!"

"That was fast," the commander noted with a grunt, checking his pocket watch with an offhanded air, quirking an eyebrow in what could have been dissapointment "Didn't even last an hour."

"But at least we are getting the desired results." The councilman opined, as the questions carried on despite the now hysterical woman's pleas for mercy. "By the way, I AM curious as to how you pulled the mission off without a hitch?"

"Sir?"

"Only," the councilman continued, his tone neutral "I'm well aware that one of your standard calling cards is to send a particular sergeant, whose name I won't mention, in first to knock the front door down."

"That's true sir," the cigar smoker agreed; face as decidedly neutral as a block of uncut granite, his eyes little blue marbles as he gave a non-regulation shrug "standard operating procedure."

"I also understand that this also involves knocking the BACK door down at the same time." The councilman noted, his tone still neutral "Not to mention the doorframes, a good portion of wall, and whatever has the misfortune to be in the way at the time."

"Couldn't say sir." The chief replied offhandedly, now focusing on a point several degrees to the right of the councilman's head, his eyes giving off a definite 'ask me no questions' message to those who knew what to look for.

"However," said councilman continued "I note than not only are the dorm's doors still intact, but that the damage, in this instance, was kept to a minimum, with all targets being acquired rather swiftly and without incident."

"I wouldn't call Narusegawa's capture 'without incident' sir." The chief reminded him pointedly, finally meeting the man's eyes again "Several good men lost a few fingers getting that straitjacket on her.

"All the same." The councilman noted, refusing to be sidetracked, though he made a mental note to see about having the appropriate hazard pay issued before the day was out "I assume you had some…help, in planning the attack?"

"Haruka provided the schematics for the dorm." The chief freely admitted, earning a nod of approval from the councilman "And as for the timing…" he shifted slightly "well, we've had a man on the inside for a while now."

"Ah yes," the councilman recalled suddenlly with a nod, stroking his neatly trimmed beard as he spoke "The infamous agent 623…I had quite forgotten." he admitted, a hint of self-annoyance in his tone.

"People do that sir." The chief replied, saluting once again as he stuffed his pocket watch back into his pocket "And now, if you'll excuse me sir, it's ten to six."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"_I already said I was sorry!" _Penny offered in Japanese, still blushing at the situation she'd gotten herself into. Getting into scraps with her eternal rival Gina Diggers was one thing, the two had been locking horns on excavations for years now, but never before had she intentionally gotten a bystander caught up in the fray.

Keitaro merely grunted, chest bare save for the arrowhead he'd tied around his neck with a piece of string, his battered shirt serving as an impromptu loincloth as he stayed behind the girls. Penny had offered him a pair of spare shorts she'd had on her, but they were form fitting, giving him the impression he was walking around with a permanent wedgie. That, and he hadn't liked the way Gina had been eyeing his rear one bit, it made him feel very self conscious and aware of how little escape room there was.

After they'd moved, Penny revealed that Stripe and Cheetah had been taken captive by the stone Kryn to Gyphon's lair, Gyphon apparently being the mastermind behind the enslavement of El Dorado, and a sorcerer to boot. She led them through a secret door into the ventilation ducts of the master chamber, which they were currently gazing down into, Gina eyeing her captive sibling with concern. Though the revelation of Gyphon's true origins certainly threw the two geniuses for a loop!

"Did you hear THAT?" Penny hissed, eyes wide with disbelief as she gaped down at the scene unfolding down in the invading Mage's apparent centre of operations "That guy's from ATLANTIS?"

"Atlanta?" Keitaro repeated in his horrible accent, earning a sweatdrop from the duo as they looked at him in disbelief.

"_No Keitaro, not Atlanta,"_ Gina corrected the Ronin gently in fluent Japanese, embarassing him further "_Atlantis, it's a legendary sunken city, said to be one of the most ancient civilizations of the world."_

"_So what, he's the little mermaid's demented evil brother or something?" _Keitaro asked incredulously, earning a giggle from Gina at the image his words brought up. Gyphon DID have the whole fishman thing going on.

"_Highly unlikely," _Penny countered with a frown, though she did chuckle _"But enough about that, how're we gonna get Cheetah and that Stripe guy outta there?"_

Gina was about to make a suggestion concerning a nearby drape when, to her horror, she realized that the section of ceiling beneath Keitaro was beginning to crack at her rival's words. Before she could even look at the startled Kanrinin, he'd fallen down into the chamber screaming at the top of his lungs amidst a hail of golden blocks. Looking down in concern the blonde scientist blinked as she realized the fall had not only decimated the ranks of petrified Kryn, but that Keitaro had somehow landed on top of a baffled Gyphon, looking none the worse for wear despite the fall.

"Well THAT works." Penny muttered, a sweatdrop running down the side of her head.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheetah didn't know what the hell was going on when Keitaro fell screaming through the roof, but she DID know that not only were Gyphon's henchmen temporarily out of the picture, but that the Atlantean mage's concentration had been broken, meaning the spell keeping her from kicking ass had been lifted.

With a yell she lunged for the man, pulling him out from under the dazed form of Keitaro and promptly supplexing him into the floor of the chamber with every ounce of strength she had. Stripe followed behind her, disposing of any of the fossilized Kryn that remained whilst Gina rained photon death on any stragglers that attempted to get too close from above.

Amidst all the chaos, Penny Pincer made her way across the room, sneaking behind the drapes as she made good use of the distraction to evaluate her future haul: Gyphon's 12-pound, 64-karat ruby. She blinked as some golden debris bounced off her hat, only to choke as Gina Diggers made an impromptu landing on her back, the ceiling having been damaged by the repetitive burst of photon energy.

"GIDDOFFME!" she snapped, only to blink in horror as Gyphon fossilized Cheetah amidst a chorus of maddened cackling, the stone lycanthrope turning her emotionless gaze towards the duo. "Um…Gina." She stammered, not taking her eyes of the approaching threat "You think we can take her?" she asked, already knowing the answer was a definite NWIH (NO WAY IN HELL).

However, just as all seemed lost, Urashima Keitaro took that moment to sit up, coincidentally placing his face into Cheetah's fossilized crotch. "_Where the hell am I?"_ the Ronin muttered blearily, ignorant of the looks of shock aimed at him around the chamber, _"and where'd this wall come from?"_

He stumbled as he tried to push against a wall, arms flailing around until one hand slapped against a stony butt-cheek. He froze, both hands rubbing the posterior once out of confusion, before looking up in dawning horror at the now sufficiently enraged features of the fossilized lycanthrope.

"PERVERT!" Fossil-Cheetah bellowed in passable Naru-ese, before promptly using the hapless Ronin as a soccer ball as she bended him like Beckham, right into a group of partially reformed Kryn, lunging after the man in a berserker rage.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Well that was different." Penny muttered, watching as Cheetah chased the screaming Keitaro around, actually surprised at how fast the Ronin was capable of running "Is he normally like that?"

"'fraid so." Gina sighed though it was with an understanding smile on her face, "I think he may have been on the receiving end of a bad luck curse, it seems to only come in effect whenever women are around."

"Well then he's screwed twice over." Penny pointed out, noticing that quite a large number of the fossilized Kryn in Gyphon's chamber were female, and were currently chasing after the hysterical Ronin alongside Cheetah, who'd at some point grabbed a battle-axe off the walls and was leading the pack in a hunt for the man's blood.

"Never mind that!" Gina exclaimed, reaching into her pouch as Stripe tackled the distracted Gyphon, the remaining fossilized Kryn still only partially reconstructed, "Stripe and Keitaro won't distract them for long! And if they go down we're next!"

She yanked out the gem of returning and held it up, the magical energies within the stone reacting to the presence of Gyphon's magic, just as Cheetah lunged at Keitaro, the Ronin having tripped over a reforming Female Kryn. There was a flash of light, a howl from Gyphon as he realized what was happening, and then a plethora of moans as the restored Kryn slowly climbed to their feet.

"Cheetah!" Gina called out, ignoring Penny's curses about giving her a warning before she went Supernova in the future "Keitaro! Are you all…right…?"

She trailed off, eyes wide as she slapped a hand to her mouth. Cheetah was leaning over the kannrin, eyes wide in horrified disbelief as she stared down at the pale features of the man they'd only known for less than a day.

There was blood everywhere; it stained the golden floor of the chamber a dull red as it seeped out of the spot that had once been Keitaro's shoulder. Cheetah had bitten a chunk out of it.

"K-Keitaro?" the Lycanthrope stammered, eyeing the man below her with fearfull disbelief as he turned his face towards her, a weak smile stretching onto his face as he gazed at her with half-shut eyes.

"Cheetah…san…" the ronin began shakily, his accent still deplorable, a shaky smile on his battered features "You…okay?" his smile widened at her look of shock, even as his eyes rolled back into his head "That…good…"

Cheetah watched on helplessly as the manager's head slumped back, landing on the floor with a thump.

"KEITAROOOOOOOO!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Haruka stiffened. She didn't know why but she suddenly had a bad premonition.

The only daughter of Urashima Hina had had premonitions like this twice before. Once when their Grandfather had died on a dig in Greece, the other was when her own father died in a plane crash headed for Cairo.

She had come to respect those premonitions, as it usually amounted to something bad happening to a member of her family, but they had been quiet as of late, the only time they'd flared up had been that incident with Keitaro and the car years ago, but the boy had gotten through that with a bandage and a smile.

This felt worse, MUCH worse, the kind of worse a bandage just couldn't cover, and smiling would only make more painful.

"Keitaro…" she muttered softly, before dashing over to her phone, deciding it was time to bring out the big guns out of retirement.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the top of Mount Everest, a cell phone went off, startling the dark haired young woman in a parka as she looked up at her grandmother, who was perched atop the flag planted there by the British explorers who'd 'conquered' it, despite the locals running up and down it for centuries.

"Moshi-Moshi!" The kind faced old woman chirped, eyes crinkling in a smile "AH! Haruka-chan! Long time no see!" She listened for a few minutes, her eyes widening slightly, a slow frown settling over her features after a few seconds "I see…very well, I'm on my way."

"Problems Obaa-sama?" the dark haired girl asked, as she watched her Grandmother fire off a flare into the air to summon their pick-up, a good hour ahead of schedule. If there was one thing the lollita knew about her Grandmother, it was that the old bag didn't rush things unless something BIG needed her attention.

"Indeed Kanako-chan." Urashima Hina conceded, her face set in a rather grim expression on concentration as the Urashima family's private chopper, armed to the teeth, appeared through the clouds "Indeed."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gina grimaced as one of Stripe's people stopped the bleeding and bound Keitaro's shoulder tightly. They'd marveled at how he seemed to be recovering well, but it didn't change the fact he was a pound of flesh lighter. Cheetah was still throwing up in the bushes, Stripe holding her hair as she vehemently tried to rid herself of the taste of blood. The Were-cat couldn't bring herself to even LOOK at Keitaro; the man had never intentionally done her any harm, had been dragged into this simply out of coincidence, and had suffered greatly trying to rescue her from Gyphon's spell.

She couldn't even vent her frustrations on the Atlantean either, Gyphon had done a runner when he realized that not only was he outnumbered, but with the Gem of returning in Gina's possession he couldn't utilize his most effective spells to their fullest, taking the artifacts with him, much to Penny's ire.

"It wasn't your fault Cheetah." Stripe tried to assure her for what felt like the umpteenth time, "You've seen through my people that they have no control over their actions when controlled by Gyphon."

So what!?" Cheetah snapped, tears streaking down her cheeks "That still doesn't change the fact that I…I-!" her face turned green and she ducked her head into the bushes as another wave of nausea swept over her, her choked sobs mixing in with the noises, adding to the already terrible mood.

"Is there anything we can do?" the Kryn prince asked one of his advisors, who shook his head, but with a calm, relieved smile on his face that set the young prince's mind, if not at ease, on a less tense footing.

"The wound is deep, but not fatal." He reminded the prince, grimacing at the memory of the bloody, tattered wound "Though I must confess some amazement at how fast the rest of his wounds are healing."

"He said he's been through worse." Gina noted, though it was with a shaky air as she tried not to look at the blood, "I didn't really believe it till I saw his wounds healing from being caught in the tachyon beam."

"Do…do you think he'll be okay?" Cheetah asked hopefully, knowing that creatures like herself could easily regenerate a severed limb due to their magical origin. Keitaro may not be a lycanthrope, but the guy's healing factor sure gave hers a run for it's money.

"I don't know." Gina replied sadly recognizing her sister's look "He checked out as human, and besides, even if he was a Lycanthrope he couldn't, since wounds inflicted by another Lycanthrope can't heal properly."

Cheetah flinched and stared helplessly as the Kryn lifted the comatose ronin onto a makeshift stretcher and carried him off to a guest room to recover.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first thing Keitaro was aware of as he regained consciousness was that he was alive, which was a mildly pleasant surprise. The second thing he realized was that he was currently resting on one of the softest beds he'd ever felt. This was less pleasant, as it seemed the mattress was determined to swallow him into its feathery depths. On the other hand, the room he was in was fit for a king; the golden wallpaper, drapes and fruit bowls was a clear giveaway.

'Waitaminute…' he wondered, eyes crossing humorously as he tried to recall why this seemed all seemed so familiar, and at the same time decidedly not so 'When the hell did I get A bed? And Golden Wallpaper for that matter?'

His brain promptly gave itself a kick-start and the events of the past few hours raced across his eyeballs, causing him to sit up, or try to at least. As he went to put pressure on his right arm he found himself falling clumsily onto his side, hissing in pain as he reached for his shoulder, only to freeze, horror slowly dawning across his features as he felt the bandaged space across his shoulder.

He refused to look at it; he COULDN'T look at it, some a deep-rooted self-preservation instinct telling him that accepting the fact that Cheetah had taken a chunk out of him would be a REALLY bad blow for his already abused psyche.

A female, snow leopard Kryn with washcloths and a bowl of water entered the room, blinking in surprise as she realized he was awake. Setting the bowl down she maneuvered closer to him, turning him so that he was sitting at the edge of the bed. She didn't say anything, but in his stunned state the ronin couldn't resist as she undid the bandages around his wound and cleaned it, not even flinching at the pain of the salve she rubbed into the raw flesh, a look of surprise upon her face as she noted the wound was almost gone.

Rewrapping the wound in fresh bandages, the Kryn bowed slightly, excusing herself as she made a hurried exit. Keitaro merely sat there in shock, only to blink as the curtain across his doorway was pushed aside, admitting Gina, Brittany and Stripe. "_Gina-san!"_ The ronin greeted, a smile coming to his face, _"Cheetah-san! Stripe San! You're okay!"_

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gina flinched, eyeing the smile on the ronin's face as she tried to NOT look at the bandages that covered his right shoulder. 'How can he be so cheerful?' she wondered in confusion, 'how can he put the health of others over his own like that?'

Brittany flinched as she noticed the look of relief on the man's face, the guilt that had been building up inside increasing yet again "Keitaro," she began, looking at the man in sorrow "I am so s-"

"Cheetah-san okay?" Keitaro asked in accented English, startling Cheetah as she nodded uncertainly, his smile widening at the gesture, "Then everything okay."

The Diggers stared at the man in awe, Stripe smiling at the injured ronin, feeling pride at how the man was putting their health over his own. As Prince, he felt the same for every one of his people; to have them returned to normal would have been worth any injury to himself. But for someone like Keitaro to suffer for Gyphon's crimes…No, that didn't sit well with the Kryn Prince at all, and he vowed to make it up to the man come hell or high water.

"Where Gyphon?" Keitaro asked, shivering as he recalled the feel of the Atlantean's skin, what little was uncovered by robes to be felt, when he'd landed on him "You kick ass?" he asked Brittany, who chuckled despite herself.

"_He ran off back to Atlantis with his tail-fins between his legs."_ Gina explained in Japanese, much to the injured Ronin's relief, sitting on the edge of his bed as she spoke _"We're planning to go after him."_

"_When do we leave?" _Keitaro asked, earning a startled look from the girl, which he didn't miss.

"_Keitaro-san," Gina_ began in a calming voice, trying not to injure the bespectacled man's pride _"wouldn't you rather go home?" _she pointedly tried her best not to look at his shoulder, though it was hard to with her eyes trailing back to his, surprisingly trin, chest _"You've already done enough…I could have you back before the day was-!"_

"_Gina-san."_ Keitaro cut in, surprising her, not to mention himself, with the firmness in his voice "_We may only have met a short while ago, but if you think I'm turning my back on my friends at a time like this you're dead wrong."_ He grimaced as he felt the raw flesh of his shoulder rub against the bandages before grinning up at the group _"I still have my arms after all."_

Gina blinked at the man's words, unable to comprehend what she was hearing, before sighing and shaking her head, a hand on her hip as she smiled in fond exasperation at the ronin's bravado.

"Men."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The flamingo felt a shiver run up his spine as he read the message on the fax he had just received from a trustworthy source. Getting to his feet, he calmly ensured his suit was impeccably clean, a force of habit, as they were ALWAYS impeccably clean, before making his way to the council room, where a meeting was taking place.

"There is a problem." He stated, silencing the conversation with that one statement. He had always been known as the most calculating member of the council, the kind of person everyone wants to off but can't because A: he was too valuable, B: the price on his head would bankrupt the city and C: they wouldn't be sure he'd STAY dead. So if HE admitted there was a problem, it might be a good idea to invest in some foreign property, preferably on Pluto.

"Does it involve Urashima Keitaro?" an older councilman asked, trying to assess the collateral damageand whether or not he should look into the aforementioned real estate as soon as possible.

"It may very well do." flamingo replied, face not betraying an iota of the nervousness he was feeling on the inside.

"Have you located him?" a second councilman asked, sounding oddly hopeful, then again he WAS head of tourism for the district so it was understandable. The rocket man figurines weren't selling as hotly as they used to.

"No," Flamingo countered, frowning slightly as several others muttered amongst themselves "and this is what makes our problem all the more troublesome." he added, earning looks of concern from the others.

"Goddammit what's the problem?" the chief of police ground out, stubbing his cigar into an ashtray and lighting a fresh one with an air of annoyance "You make it sound like a war's gone and broken out."

"That may in fact come to happen." The flamingo-esque councilman replied, pulling out the faxhe'd recieved with the air of one holding a doomsday switch, "For at this moment Urashima Hinata is currently on her way back to Japan."

The council froze, the chief of police's cigar dropping to the floor as his body went numb with shock. They were all stalwart men, not one had not sacrificed something over the years to get into their position, nor were they God-fearing men, placing their merits and failings plainly on the backs of humans, usually themselves or some deserving idiot.

As such there were few things that could entice such terror into the councilmen, and the very prime concern was currently on her way in her private helicopter, possibly with that damnable adopted granddaughter of hers, not to mention the brat's blasted cat.

"Now while I'm certain Hina-san is a woman of reason," flamingo noted dryly, "I am also well aware that when it comes to her family she tends to toss that reason out the window, along with whatever happens to be in the general vicinity." He paused for effect "Sometimes the window didn't even EXIST until Hina-san saw fit to make one."

The councilmen shivered, the head of them all raising his head slowly, concern in those old eyes that only sparked a greater sense of group terror "Speed up the searches." He ordered, his voice a little more urgent than before "and send out a bounty for Keitaro-kun, Alive and, emphasize this, Unharmed."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'I still can't believe this is happening.' Keitaro muttered, eyeing the area around him in amazement. Not too long ago his greatest concern would be whether or not he could get into Tokyo U whilst simultaneously living long enough to pay off the repairs to the inn, now he was involved in a plan to save the world from, of all things, an Atlantean mage.

He personally thought it was an improvement.

Penny had pulled out her personal hover carrier, complete with Mini-sub and helipad for this trip, though Keitaro suspected she was in it more for the plunder than the whole 'save the world shtick', though he of course kept this to himself, not wanting to be dodging crossbow bolts with so little room to escape.

The ronin was currently sporting a skintight black top and khaki shorts with buckles (think Keitaro's final fight with Seta outfit) purchased and treated by Gina to withstand almost anything that got thrown at it, which would certainly serve better than what he'd worn the first time he'd joined their expedition. She'd even gone out of her way to purchase some new glasses for him, consigning his old dorky pair to the nearest incinerator, the arrowhead he'd picked up now tied to a fetching silver chain.

He winced as he overheard the two rivals arguing for the umpteenth time, before turning his attention to marvel at Gina's car, which looked like something out of West Coast Customs' wet dream. He swore it was moving, even with the hood up and engine parts sitting half assembled across the deck, the bright red and gold paintjob, nearly blinding him with its intensity.

The sound of an osprey descending heralded the arrival of the rest of the team, Brittany dashing over, near knocking Keitaro off his feet, and promptly glomping Stripe, who was wearing something more modest than his loincloth. The ronin snorted as he watched the lycanthrope shrink into her human form, shaking his head at Stripe's look of bemusement; HIS reaction had been the same after all, though he knew better than to crack jokes around the woman.

"YO, K!" a loud voice called out, Keitaro looking up into the grinning face of Kevin 'Ace' Koss, professional pilot-for-hire and the only one Gina and Penny both agreed worth hiring for transportation to sites. The two had been introduced shortly after the pickup from El Dorado, Kevin even attempting to show him the basics of flying a plane to pass the time.

"Hi Ace." The ronin greeted, feeling chuffed at how little his accent showed after such a short refresher course, Gina's tutoring having been thorough. That, and the ronin was less inclined to drift off around HER than with Seta...for one thing Haruka' Ex hadn't been in the habit of goosing him if he let his mind wander. "Rough trip?" he asked, looking the genial pilot over concernedly.

"Naw, business as usual." Ace replied dismissively, failing to mention the group of mercenaries he'd pissed off as he eyed the arguing rivals with a bemused shake of his cap-sporting head "Dayum...They never change."

"They're good friends." Keitaro agreed, earning a laugh from the taller man that promptly ended the argument between the two as they looked round to see what was so funny. Keitaro, turning his gave back to Ace, blinked in disbelief as he spotted the two figures behind the pilot for the first time, the pointy ears and slender frames practically screaming the word 'Elf!' to his otaku side even before they were introduced.

"Keitaro, these are Tark and Mesha." Brittany introduced, "Gina and I bumped into them a while back, and they figured since Gyphon's a mage they could help out, what with being magical themselves." she shot Ace an exaserated look, "By the way, Gina's not taking the sub down, she's going in her car."

"Say what now?" Ace stammered, looking put on, a look shared by the equally skeptical Keitaro, who was pretty damn sure that whilst cars were indeed comfortable modes of transportation, they didn't make particularly good submarines outside of James Bond films.

"Anybody wanna ride with me?" Gina asked, an excited Mesha raising her hand from the get go, much to gina's delight "Alright, then you and Keitaro can come, that way there's more room in the sub."

"Uh, why Keitaro?" Ace asked apprehensively, noting the look of concern, make that dread, cross the ronin's face as he eyed the, admittedly FINE, car with trepidation "Wouldn't Tark or Brittany be better?"

"For one, having a mage with each party is common sense for defensive purposes since Gyphon's a mage himself." Gina countered, "Brittany wants to go with Stripe anyways and besides," she smiled at her currently human sister teasingly, "there isn't that much room and Keitaro's smaller than you."

"GINA!" Brittany snapped, looking irate as everyone laughed their socks off, though Keitaro felt a little self conscious about falling short of the, currently petite, girl's physique, his head lowered as a funeral bell sounded over it.

Though he had to admit, as the water rushed over the reinforced sunroof of the hotrod, opting to take the Gina mobile, even if he HAD been drafted, was much better than sitting stuffed together like a bunch of sardines in Penny's sub, for one thing there was an AC, surround sound speakers, and a handy little container for sodas under the armrest.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once they were in the water, away from prying eyes, Gina eyed Keitaro in the rearview mirror as the ronin lounged in the backseat, listening to Dragon Force through a pair of spare headphones he'd borrowed from Ace and sipping on a soda. One of the reasons she'd wanted him with her was simply out of concern, he'd already gotten hurt being involved with them once, but unlike some people she'd met in the past he wasn't about to just leave them out to dry.

'At the very least I can make sure he doesn't get hurt again.' She reasoned, though she guiltily noted that he suited the shorts she'd bought him rather well 'Especially certain parts in particular.' she noted with a blush as she recalled the incident with Penny at El Dorado. The image of what she'd seen had been permanently etched into her minds eye. 'Sure he's a little scrawny now.' She noted, humming to herself as she started up the engines, 'But a year or two, a few more expeditions and a good tan…'

Mesha blinked as she noticed Gina beginning to giggle quietly to herself, a bead of sweat running down the elf's scalp as she noticed the drool on the girl's chin; Keitaro, blissfully unaware of the plans being laid in his future hummed idly away to the music, not a care in the world.

Abruptly, Penny's face appeared on the screen, just as a pair of MIG-35's shot past them "Gina! We're under attack from some Merc-weirdos!" she yelled "They've already sunk my hover carrier and now they're coming after us! We need help!"

"What's going on?" Keitaro wondered only to choke as Gina pressed the accelerator, the Gina-mobile surging through the water like a designer model torpedo. The blonde adventurer swerved as she passed the attackers, before pressing a button and unleashing several waterproof landmines from a compartment in the boot right into their faces.

Needless to say it got their assailants' attention, enabling the distraught mini-sub to make some much needed repairs. However, things took a turn for the worst when the lead plane emptied several rounds into the left side wing of the Gina-mobile, sending it spiraling down into the murky depths, Keitaro's shrill scream slowly dying out as they went.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Evil, I know, leaving on a cliffhanger again, but if it gets you to come back, then who'm I to complain.

Halibel: They'll hate you.

Kyugan: Not if they want updates they wont.

Halibel: We shall see.

Note: Yes, the carniverous Flamingo and surly Police Chief ARE a reference to two VERy famous fictional characters. Try and guess which.

Review if Halibel is Hawt.

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

Many thanks to all those that sent in their support.

To those that ask, I haven't considered writing a Naruto Gold Digger Cross, though it sounds tempting.

Halibel: Pervert...

Kyugan: I try.

I, Sadly, do not own the rights to any of these characters, they are the property of Ken Akumatsu Sensei, Fred Perry, and their respective creators in regards to any cameos that make an appearance.

* * *

Chapter 4.

Urashima Haruka stood at the private sector of the airport, a taxi nearby with the driver looking decidedly nervous. And can you blame him? This psychopath had kicked a mafia lord in the balls, beat the living shite out of his men and stuck his date in a trash can just so she could be first in line for the cab. She'd even thrown the guy into the street to get him to stop!

And now, climbing out of the helicopter, was one of the scariest women in all of Japan, and quite possibly the world, the woman rumored to have her fingers in every government body and every aspect of the criminal underworld, the woman who had ripped the head off a bear to protect her children, and the balls off a park ranger for trying to arrest her for it.

'Shouldn't have transferred.' He muttered repeatedly, recalling a similar circumstance that had happened in his past, 'Shoulda never become a taxi driver for that matter.' He shivered as the cold barrel of a golden Desert Eagle was pressed against the back of his head, only for a gentle rebuke to have it removed.

"After all," Urashima Hinata stated with a kind smile, "I'm sure this young man wouldn't DREAM of keeping an old lady waiting."

The driver quite frankly would've preferred having the gun pressed to his skull; it would have given him a decent incentive to avoid thinking about the woman's smile. There were things that lurked in the backs of prehistoric caves that would have been afraid of that smile, and most likely WERE lurking there because of it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A small militia had built itself outside the council headquarters, traffic had been diverted to ensure that civilians weren't counted amongst the collateral damage, as these men had been ordered to shoot first, and keep shooting until they either ran out of ammo or target to shoot, whichever came first. At the forefront was a behemoth of a man with a Vulcan cannon, which had been customized into a handheld from an anti-tank vehicle. He eyed the street ahead with a sharp, albeit primal glare, waiting for the telltale signs of footfall or tires screeching that would herald the enemy.

Inside, the councilmen had barricaded themselves in the conference room, decked out in riot gear save for three, the Chairman, the Chief of Police and the Flamingo, who knew that no amount of armor would serve any relevant purpose outside of providing their own tinfoil. "How long?" one of the councilmen asked nervously, a naginata at the ready in his trembling hands as his samurai helm clattered in fear.

"One minute." Flamingo replied, sitting calmly in his place at the Chairman's right, the Chief of police sitting across from him, chewing the end of his cigar tensely. The councilmen huddled together, save for the chairman who sat with his hands before his face in the standard Gendo Ikari pose, though without the incompetence and erectile dysfunction that the pose had been designed to make up for.

A minute passed, and the councilmen began to wonder if they'd been wrong, that ended when the chairman cleared his throat. "I see you're still in good health." He spoke out calmly, "Urashima Hinata dono."

The councilmen, with the exception of the two at the head's side, leapt at the name, before turning in terrified unison to stare at the chair at the far end of the table, which was slowly rotating so it was facing them. In it sat the most dangerous, spiteful, destructive spawn of the deepest pits of hell that coincidentally chose to walk around in the guise of a rather small, eccentric old woman. They each checked themselves to ensure their codpieces were fastened on tightly, the custom made pieces of metal designed to hold off anything short of an anti-tank round. They still didn't feel secure enough.

"I flattered you think so," Granny-Hina replied amiably, her smile traumatizing small children and battle heardended veterans in third world countries on the other side of the globe "I trust things have been quiet since I left?"

"Not quite." The chairman replied honestly. It didn't pay to lie to Urashima Hinata, andif it DID, it didn't pay ENOUGH. No matter what it was she KNEW what had really happened, even if you yourself didn't.

"You still haven't found my Grandson." The matriarch stated. It wasn't a question, and the amiability in her voice carried a hint that there was going to be a feeling of general UN-amiability in the near future, say the next two seconds.

"We have contacted a few of your…acquaintances." The flamingo stated warily, earning an annoyed grunt from the chief of police, who loathed the notion of relying on the criminal underworld for anything other than target practice "We have also set an underground bounty on him, nothing that would draw attention to his…'unique gifts', but enough to ensure that if the criminal underworld catches so much of a glimpse they'll hound him to the ends of the earth.

"So nice to see you young folk using your heads for a change." Hinata replied with her smile back in full force, the threat of imminent pain gone without a trace, "You're Vetinari-kun aren't you?"

"Indeed madam." Vetinari admitted, bowing respectfully to the Urashima family matriarch.

"And the rather sullen fellow across from you is Vimes-kun?" Hinata queried, smiling at the suddenly on the spot chief of police "So good to see you off the bottle." She noted with a smile, "And you certainly have better taste than my Haruka, she still insists on those god awful cigarettes."

"Give me a cigar any day." Vimes agreed stiffly, trying stoutly not to look away from the woman's gaze. She'd scared the living shit out of him as a child, and she still did now, but he'd be damned if he admitted that even to himself.

Hinata eyed the stubborn man for a few moments, before nodding in satisfaction and turning on her heel. "Coincidentally, you may want to send for an ambulance." She called out "Your men down in the yard seem to have shot themselves in the feet with the exception of the one with the Vulcan gun."

"Remind me to give the sergeant a raise." Vimes breathed as the old woman walked out the council doors, leaving the members slouched in their seats, weeping in relief and calling their respective wives/lovers/both to let them know they were alive. This lead toa minor dispute, as some of them discovered they were sharing significant others.

"Was it really necessary to order him to shoot everyone else in the foot with that gun of his?" Vetinari asked, cocking an eyebrow at the man, as slowly but surely, the sounds of men groaning, cursing or crying filtered through the reinforced walls of the council room.

"Compared to the damage that fighting of three pissed of Urashima Women would have incurred?" Vimes shot back, his own brow raised in challenge, as he let the THAT particular scenario worm it's way into the man's head.

"Good point." Vetinari conceded, before making a mental note to triple the bounty on Keitaro before the day was over.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keitaro winced as he slowly came back to consciousness; something he felt was becoming FAR to common an occurrence on these little trips with Gina and co.

Keeping his eyes shut he slowly twitched his limbs to see if anything was broken or missing. 'Toes: check. Legs: stiff but there. Arms…' he winced at the pain of his right shoulder "scratch that, valuables…'he sighed as a brief grinding of the legs revealed his pickle and eggs were still in the basket. 'All present and accounted for…now where the hell am I?'

Slowly cracking an eye open the immortal Ronin fought the urge to blink at how humid it felt in the room. In all honesty he first assumed he'd woken up in a sauna, it was only when he realized that they appeared to be in some sort of chamber and that a rather beefy guy in a toga was standing nearby did he recall what had happened. "GINA-SAN!" he yelped, sitting up quickly, startling the toga-man and catching sight of two people with a passing resemblance to Gyphon, obviously Atlantean.

"Keitaro?" Gina's voice called out, causing him to turn, blushing at the sight of the blonde's new attire, "What are you doing in a toga?" Gina asked, only to blink and notice her own state of dress "What the? Where are we?"

"Atlantis." Keitaro supplied, pointing across at the female of the two Atlanteans, keeping a wary eye on the massive human and the Atlantean with the sharpened blades growing out of his arms. Those looked like they could SERIOUSLY hurt a guy.

"Are we prisoners?" Gina wondered, blinking as Mesha slowly came round, complaining about the humidity "I'm guessing these guys are our hosts." she noted after speaking with the elf for a while, the bladed Atlantean garbling out something in their native language.

"What he say?" Keitaro asked, hobbling over on stiff legs towards the two, making sure not to leave his back exposed, but then waking up with a muscle-bound Fabio dressed in a toga would have anyone a little wary.

"Didn't get a word of it." Gina replied, eyeing the trio warily, her hands on her hips as she wished she had a blaster with her. Not that she was COMPLETELY helplesswithout her firearm mind you, but it was comforting to know that unwanted advances could be deterred with a quick burst of photo-electric death.

"Perhaps a spell could help matters." Mesha reasoned after a moments contemplation, Gina agreeing provided the elf 'blast 'em' should they be in the company of Gyphon's allies, only for the muscular Human to speak up in English.

"We're very sorry for tricking you," the bladed Atlantean offered solemnly, bowing his head slightly, one hand placed over his tunic as he spoke "but Gyphon has many spies. We had to make sure you were really upper-worlders."

"Then you're not Gyphon's troops?" Gina asked, putting a hand on Keitaro's shoulder to let him know they were in the clear, for now, even as the big guy snorted in affront a look of diusgust crossing his features at her words.

"Never!" he proclaimed proudly, looking insulted at the woman's insinuation, even as he stood to attention, muscles rippling in a way that drew both Gina and Keitaro's gazes, out of interest and wariness respectively "We are warriors of the TRUE rulers of Atlantis."

"Which would be me." A refined voice announced, a regally dressed Atlantean female emerging from behind a drape with a kind look on her face "I am Tyr, Gyphon's Half-sister." She bowed her head slightly in greeting "It was I who rescued you from one of Gyphon's traps and used my Healing magic to mend your broken bodies…" she turned to regard Keitaro curiously "Although, one of you didn't seem to need it as much."

"I've been through worse." Keitaro replied with a chuckle, noticing the looks of confusion of the Atlanteans' faces and sweating nervously. Gina drew attention away from the Ronin by thanking Tyr for her help, before inquiring as to why and where they had rescued them.

"Gyphon claimed he would instigate a war against all Upper-worlders." Tyr explained carefully "We assumed that an enemy of Gyphon would be a potential ally." She looked at Gina "Tell me, were you coming to destroy Gyphon…or surrender?"

"That creep?" Gina snorted, looking annoyed at the mere mention of the sorcerer that had put them through heck and back, not to mention what he'd made her little sister go through "We came to kick his butt!"

"I'm relieved to hear that," Tyr admitted in relief as she held out her hand, on which rested the gem of returning "for you had this in your possession, a prize much to dangerous to surrender to Gyphon."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the Atlantean princess explained the importance of the Gem to the explorers, Keitaro took the chance to look around the chamber, noting in amazement the quality of the artwork and carvings. Aside from the obvious lack of gold, the humidity and the obviously nautical motif, the room could have passed for El Dorado, especially in terms of space.

He blinked as he noticed the female Atlantean from before taking a step away from the group, as if putting some distance between them. She hadn't noticed him watching, and the look in her eyes was making the Ronin's hackles stand on end, the faint smell of ozone he recalled surrounding Gyphon just as the mage had been about to use his magic filling the air. "ABANAI!" he yelled, lunging at the woman, only for a large, horned demon to swat him out of midair as it apparated through a summoning portal. He collided with some pots, groaning as the others leapt into action.

Gina leapt out of reach of the demons as Garen and Tanis kept them busy alongside Tyr and Mesha, the spell casters taking potshots at the traitorous Dyranna which the demons kept deflecting. The traitor advanced on the blonde, who promptly found herself without a weapon as she was backed into a corner. She grabbed a nearby pot and hurled it at the traitor only to blink as it apparently shattered against an invisible wall.

"Useless." Dyranna mocked, "My stasis field negates all physical attacks, only spell casters can harm me." She smirked as a demon deflected one of Mesha's arrows into Garen "and as you can see that problem can sort itself out."

She advanced on Gina, who began tossing whatever came to her hands at the woman, webbed fists crackling with magical energy as she prepared some highly unpleasant spell for the human. Keitaro, in an act of desperation lunged to his feet and tried to grab the Atlantean by the ankle, but instead snagged the end of her dress.

SHRIIIIIIIIP!!!!!

Dyranna blinked, Gina blinked, the demons and their combatants blinked, eyes bulging out of sockets as they took in the decidedly NAKED sorceress standing before them, the remains of her dress in Keitaro's stunned hands as he lay on the floor. "Er…sorry?" the Ronin offered, as steam began to emerge from Dyranna's ears, her face turning an interesting shade of purple either out of rage or embarrassment.

"PERVERT!"

POW!!!

"PRRRRRGH!!!!

Gina sweatdropped as the Ronin was kicked right in the face and sent careening into the two demons, slamming them into the wall with the force of his momentum. They landed badly, poofing out of existence from the combination of raw blunt trauma and Dyranna's loss of control over the summoning spell.

"Stupid…perverse…wretch!" the Atlantean hissed, panting heavily in sheer fury at what had happened, covering her unmentionables as best she could "How DARE you-eh?"

She blinked as someone tapped her on the shoulder, turning right into a face full of pottery as Gina smashed an urn against her head with all the force she could muster.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I swear if I ever get out of this I'm never eating calamari again!" Penny swore, as Ace dropped the spare fuel tanks right into the gaping maw of the kraken, firing the boosters and tearing the sub right out of the overgrown squid's reach. The explosion as the beast detonated rocked the mini-sub, but by then they were well on their way.

Whilst Ace and Stripe attempted to navigate the terrain in search of Atlantis (which wasn't all that hard if you considered the only direction you had to go was DOWN) Penny drafted Tark into helping her repair the bilge pump, teasing the elf slyly, much to his confusion.

"Whoa what's this?" Ace muttered, blinking at the sight before him, not sure if he was seeing things or if Penny had spiked his soda "There's a crazy guy out there with glowing red eyes and hands! He bugging or what?"

"Beware Ace!" the Kryn prince cautioned gazing out the screen at the figure warily, eyes narrowing in anger as he recognised his longtime enemy through the murky gloom "That's the Atlantean Mage we've been looking for! Gyphon!"

"Well whoever he is he's gonna regret messing with Mac-Daddy Ace!" the pilot boasted with his usual bravado.

Which made it all the more embarrassing as Gyphon had them all imprisoned like living bowling pins with a simple wave of his hands. They hadn't even had the chance to run him over! The only comfort the pilot had was that the terror of being tortured by the sadistic sorcerer was keeping Penny from making any snide comments.

"Let the others go Gyphon!" Stripe growled, straining against the bonds that held him in place as Tark strained in agony at the Atlantean's mercy "This is between you and me! As it has always been!"

"You are hardly in a position to give orders, oh lord of El Dorado." Gyphon pointed out mockingly "With the powers I have gained from your artifacts I could easily destroy you as easily as I destroyed my former masters, the late lords of Atlantis!" As if to demonstrate his point he pointed at the still human Brittany, eyes glowing beneath his cowl. "But I find it more amusing to torture your friends slowly," he admitted "while the armies of Atlantis prepare to conquer the upper-world with my ultimate weapon!"

"Dream on psycho!" Brittany spat, only to scream as Gyphon gestured with his hand, sending a current surging through her body. Had she been in her Lycanthrope body it would've been worse, most certainly fatal, but her human form's pain tolerance level was much lower.

"Ah, I remember you brash one." The Atlantean noted darkly, his eyes glowing a dark, vindictive crimson as he recognised the voice, if not the form of the girl before him "the lycanthrope that attacked me at El Dorado."

"Gyphon if you dare harm her-!" Stripe snarled, redoubling his efforts to break free and thrash the mage to within an inch of his treacherous life, and having no more success than before, the magical bonds holding him firmly in place.

"Silence fool!" Gyphon shot back, eye glowing as he glared at the prince "This one has much to answer for…NO ONE assaults me and lives unscathed!" he raised his hand again, crackling with energy, as he held it over Brittany's head "And with her in human form, punishing her will be especially easy!"

"GO F$*# YOURSELF!" Brittany shot back, eyes clenched against the pain as she tried to avoid biting her own tongue, only for the current to cease as a large, expensive looking pot shattered against the back of Gyphon's head.

"WHO DARES?!" the Atlantean bellowed, only to gape in shocked fury as Gina, Keitaro, Tyr and the rest appeared through a vortex, the blonde and Keitaro riding atop what looked to be a double seated lazy-boy, with Keitaro holding onto Gina's headrest for support, having hurled the pot at Gyphon's head as they warped in.

Cursing, Gyphon deflected a magical blast sent his way by Tyr, only to curse as he realized Mesha had locked down the room with a spell, preventing him from summoning help, Garen and Tanis taking up positions by the door, halting the progress of any of the Mage's guards that attempted to get in. He took advantage of the confusion to launch a blast of energy at his sister and the elf, cackling all the while as it appeared his superior magical might seemed to still be in his favor, only to blink as he realized two things.

One: the humans and their machine were nowhere in sight.

Two, it was getting a LOT harder to breath...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Sorry about that." Gina offered a gasping Tyr as they finished tying up Gyphon with Mesha's 'Wizard lock' spell, the captured mage cursing at them in every language he knew, which seemed to include a few that had long since ceased to exist "I didn't think it would affect such a wide area."

Keitaro made a mental note never to sit so close to an ion-accelerator in a toga again, it had been distinctly uncomfortable, akin to being wrapped in plastic and set in a microwave for an hour. All around the others were reuniting (Tark and Mesha), poking fun (Penny and Brittany) or simply grousing (Ace). The mood far much lighter than it had been earlier, and the Ronin was surprised at just how EASY it had been.

If there was one thing his dorky obsessions with videogames had taught the Ronin, it was that if the supposed Boss was defeated with relative ease, it meant something even worse was looming on the horizon.

However, he was distracted from such thoughts by the conversation between the rulers of El Dorado and Atlantis, who he first assumed were going to throw down or even haggle over some ancient dispute, but instead Tyr offered Stripe the crown Gyphon had stolen from the Kryn, and the Prince humbly accepted, the two monarchs hoping for peace between their nations.

It wasn't until Brittany elbowed Gyphon upside the head that Keitaro's finely tuned sense of danger, which oddly enoug only kicked into action when it didn't invlovle females, warned him that something in the mage's posture hinted there was something rather unpleasant hidden up his sleeve, and we weren't talking B.O either.

Before he could say anything however, Gina had already crossed the hall to the doorway the mage had indicated, just as Tark and Mesha sensed the highly vindictive magic behind it. Keitaro managed to catch Gina as the explosion rocked her backwards, landing on the floor as they gazed up in horror at the multi-story, multi-limbed, multi-headed monstrosity that was towering over them.

"There are your artifacts Stripe!" Gyphon goaded madly, cackling in insane glee, "They power the most awesome weapon on earth: ARMEGEDDON!" he cackled again, the beast towering Over them as he finished "KILL THEM ALL MY SLAVE!"

"GYPHON YOU EVIL SACK OF S#&!!" Brittany cursed, dodging lumps of ceiling as the monstrosity let loose a terrifying roar. Keitaro couldn't help but agree with the sentiment, but was currently too busy trying to avoid becoming a pancake. It brought no small amount of satisfaction, however, when the giant ploughed it's house sized fist into it's creator, shutting the madman's insane laughter off, even as a piece of ceiling crashed into the Ronin's skull, causing him to black out for the second time that day.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Now then Shinobu-chan." A kind looking police captain began, his shaved red hair and wide smile putting the girl at ease despite his size, "can you tell us about what it's like at the Hinata dorms?"

"Well," Shinobu began uncertainly, looking shyly up at the captain's friendly face "I like it, and everyone always seems so nice to me." She twiddled with her fingers nervously "Since Sempai joined us things have been a lot of fun too."

"By Sempai, do you mean Urashima Keitaro-san?" the captain asked, to which the blue haired girl nodded, a blush rising to her features at the mention of the errant Kanrinin "And how would you describe Keitaro-kun?"

"He's really kind!" the girl replied with an earnest smile "And he works so hard to make everyone happy, even though it cuts into his study time!" she blushed as she realized how energetically she'd been speaking "Um…that is to say…"

"I quite understand." The captain supplied with a smile, making a careful note of the girls reaction and attitude in relation to her statement "Now, how would you describe Keitaro-kun's treatment at the dorms?"

Shinobu winced, this being a tender topic that the Hinata dorms kept to themselves. It was no secret that Keitaro was sent into L.E.O on numerous occasions, but most people had no clue as to the cause. This is exactly how Naru and Kitsune intended to keep it. 'Can't have John Law sniffing around and asking questions that don't need answering' the fox had told them all during dinner, before staggering off too lose Keitaro's savings on the races again.

It had therefore become an unspoken rule that no members of Hinata house would divulge information to an outside source, in order to preserve the security of their private lives.

"Maehara-san." The Captain stated, "We are trying to locate Keitaro-kun as fast as possible, but before we can do that we need to narrow down the reasons for his disappearance." He held up a pen, "I won't force you, the choice is entirely yours."

Ten minutes later and the captain had to send out for another ten notebooks, as the information just kept coming.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"She ain't talking sir." A rather large sergeant reported to Vimes as the cigar chewer gazed into the cell where Aoyama Motoko was sitting in a straight jacket. The Kendo-ka had had to be sedated before they could get it on her, for reasons that included attempted assault on a policeman and attempted escape via ki techniques.

Vimes detested chi users, he detested magic-users too for that matter, and that wasn't even counting the numerous half demons, full demons, gods and demi-gods that were so frequent in Japan. He was of the sound mind that Humans had been given enough shit in their life to deal with, but someone, usually some deranged manga-ka, just kept on adding to the pile in big stinking heaps. 'At least chi users are human' he reasoned, which made him feel a little bad for what he was about to do next. But just a little.

"You called sir?" a voice around shin height asked, the Vimes turning to regard what appeared to be either a rather skinny dwarf or a rather sick monkey. The boils made it a little hard to be sure.

"At ease Corporal." He ordered, the apparition settling into a more relaxed slouch. "I want you to go in there and keep Miss Aoyama entertained, maybe then she'll be a little more co-operative."

"YESSIR!" the creature saluted, his pigeon chest sticking out with pride, nearly lifting him off the ground "I shall do that right away sir!" and with that, he proceeded into the cell with a smile on his face.

"Isn't that a bit too much sir?" the large sergeant asked reproachfully, even as the door shut behindthem...officer, though he DID lock the damn thing as he did so "I mean, did you really have to sink that low?"

"I'll buy him a pint or ten later." The chief replied, walking off with a small, satisfied nod as Motoko's screams filled the air.

"TORTURE ME PROPERLY YOU BASTARDS!" she screamed, sounding oddly hysterical "YOU…THING! STAY AWAY FROM ME WITH THOSE BOILS! ANEUE! DASKETE!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Any luck?"

"Ook."

"You don't say?"

"Ook."

"A real princess? No kidding?"

"Eek."

"Okay, okay I'm not doubting you." The fscruffy looking police officer assured the rather sorry looking orangutan with a policeman's badge hanging from it's neck "Does she have diplomatic immunity?"

"Ook."

"I suppose it WOULD be too much trouble to fill in that red tape." The officer conceded, his face, despite being young, giving you the impression that he'd 'Been There', even if all he'd done WHILE there had been to run the hell away "So did she confess?"

"Ook."

"Really? How'd you get her to do that?" he blinked as the ape began to look decidedly sheepish "Oh no, you didn't?"

"EEK!"

"I don't care if she did, she's a child!" the man chastised, the ape turning away ashamedly as he put his hands on his hips and shook his head "You really need to get that temper of yours under control."

"Ook."

"Don't worry I wont say anything." The scrawny officer assured the ape as they made their way to the next room, looking down at the simian as he unlocked the door "Just try to keep it in check with this one."

He opened the door, revealing a rather vexed Narusegawa Naru in a reinforced straightjacket wrapped in chains that could have held an elephant in place. "Who are you?" the violent girl snapped, eyes flicking over the duo "And what's with the monkey?"

Never had the words 'wild animal' applied more than they did in the minutes that followed.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gina shrieked as Armageddon continued to rain down on them like, well…Armageddon she supposed. The monstrosity alternated between pummeling anything that came within reach of its fists and to launching fireballs at the group in a zealous urge to wipe them off the face of the planet, much like its namesake.

So far everyone had survived by staying the hell out of its way and ducking under shields crafted by the spell casters as they tried to make their way back to the portal they used to get here. But Tark was drained from the torture, Mesha was so concerned protecting him she couldn't concentrate, and Tyr was left trying to simultaneously ward off the beast and shield them at the same time. "We need to fall back!" Garen bellowed, standing beside his queen as they made their way back to the warp hole.

"Everyone!" Tyr called out, grateful for the human's bulk as she continued to maintain her spell without being distracted "Under my wall of force! It should protect us from the heat and flames!"

"Where's King Kong when you need him?!" Ace swore, sliding under the shield with the skills that would make him the envy of a major league runner. A cracking noise was heard revealing to everyone's horror that Armageddon's rampage had shattered the roof of the citadel, letting in the water that was pressing down from all sides.

Tanis gestured wildly to the portal as the water began to slip through Tyr's fading shield, Garen scooping up the exhausted Atlantean monarch and carrying her behind the others to ensure they got out, leaping through the portal just as the shield broke, the water crashing down behind them.

They emerged in the pool of legends, Cheetah gasping for breath as she was pulled ashore by Penny, the adventurer wrinkling her nose at the smell of wet cat, only to shriek as the girl morphed into her hybrid form and promptly shook the excess water free from her coat. "What about Keitaro and Gina?" Mesha asked, looking about in concern, "I saw them get knocked back by the initial blast of Gyphon's trap and tried to teleport them out of the way but the surge of magic disrupted my invocation! They could be anywhere by now!"

"Do not worry my heart." Tark assured her, holding his consort's shoulders gently, though there was concern in his eyes for their missing friends "I'm sure they are safe. We have seen first hand how resourceful Gina can be, and as for Keitaro…"

"Kid's built like a brick shithouse." Ace supplied with a grin, recalling how he'd accidentally LANDED on the Ronin the first time they'd met, only for the immortal to smile it away "Bad luck aside I don't think there's any reason to worry about them."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gina awoke to the unusual sensation of someone carrying her on their back and a biting cold. She blinked slowly, wincing at the stiffness in her muscles, only to gasp as she realized not only were they no longer in Atlantis, but that the one carrying her was most definitely not Cheetah. "KEITARO!" she gasped, the haggard looking Ronin looking over at her and smiling weakly.

"G-G-G-G-Gina-san." He stuttered, face blue and covered in frost from his prolonged walk through the blizzard "W-w-w-what a r-r-r-r-relief…I th-th-th-th-thought we w-w-w-w-w-ere goners b-b-b-b-back there."

"How'd w-w-w-w-we get up h-h-here?" the explorer asked, getting he feet under her as she tried to support the Ronin, who looked half dead already. Though truth be told, she wasn't doing much better herself. Togas were NOTexactly arctic wear.

"N-n-no clue…" Keitaro managed to get out, still a little concussed from the ceiling landing on him "Exp-p-plosion…f-f-fire…t-t-then h-h-here." He stumbled, Gina gasping as she realized how cold he was, noting the trail of footprints behind them.

'He must've carried me all this time!' the scientist realized in horror, looking over the man in concern, noting his lolling head and drooping eyes 'For God only knows how long with now proper gear and his own injuries to boot!'

"I m-m-m-miss t-t-the f-f-f-fire." Keitaro stuttered weakly, as Gina held him close, what little body heat she had to spare micing with his own depleted reserves "B-b-better t-t-than f-f-f-f-f-f-freezing at l-l-l-least."

"Trust y-y-you to j-j-joke at a t-t-time like t-t-t-this!" Gina chastised, though she was glad the Ronin was still talking, even if he was going delirious. "J-just h-hang on," she instructed, "I-I'll t-t-try to f-find a c-cave or s-something".

"Th-that's…n-nice…" Keitaro whispered, Gina shaking him desperately to keep him awake, only for her own body to slowly submit to the chill, the two lying with Gina holding the Ronin's head in her arms.

All was silent on the snowy mountaintop, and the bodies of the two adventurers may well have been abandoned to the snow, were it not for a shadow that appeared over the two, belonging to a heavily dressed figure with a hooded cloak.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CLIFFHANGER!

Seriously, the amount of times people black out, only to wake up in changed circumstances in the GD universe is uncanny. But then Keitaro's had his own fair share of interesting wakings hasn't he?

And yes, if the cmaeos weren't enough of a hint, I am a Pratchett fan, VIVA LA DISC!

R&R Or face the wrath of the 300 PEEBOS!

Pebo-nidus: THIS! IS! KAPOWIE!

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

This one's hot offthe presses folks! Try not to burn yourselves (or me!) with the reviews

Halibel: Shameful...

Kyugan: I own nothing but my devious brain and tainted soul.

* * *

Chapter 5.

"I look like a fucking babysitter to you Kuso-Baba?" a rather coarse voice asked, belonging to a spiky haired blonde with pointy ears and a bony body. He eyed her warily, knowing of her reputation but unlike most he didn't fear her. Well, other than the professional fear that everyone in their line of business has for their peers.

Which is why Hinata merely smiled at the sight of the loaded AK-47 resting against the teen's shoulder, having grown used to such from the young man before her. "No, but your information gathering networks are among the best in the world." She stated calmly, placing a large briefcase on the counter and opening it, revealing the mountain of million yen bills waiting to be spent "So I'm sure I can count on you to get the job done on your end."

The teen picked up a bundle of bills and flicked it, his grin widening to absolutely demonic proportions as he did so. "Feh, say what you like, Kuso baba," he conceded, raising a slender brow "But it'll not come cheap."

"But of course." The Urashima Matriarch assured him, "this is merely the down payment. Oh! And give my regards to Kurita-kun will you?"

She bowed and left the, rather impressive, locker room, Haruka standing outside the door having a smoke. "You sure that kid can get the job done?" the younger Urashima female asked, only to blink as a round of machine gun fire shattered the air.

"YA-HA!" the owner of said voice screamed over the hotwired intercom system of the school, like the becomings of the devil himself "KUSO BUTAMA! KUSO JIJI! HAHA-KYOUDAI! GET YOUR ASSES IN HERE!"

"KYOUDAI JA-NE!" three annoyed voices bellowed from different locations around the school, whilst Granny-Hina gave a small smile and nodded.

"You should put a little more faith in me Haruka." She admonished, as a rather large teen with a head shaped like a chestnut rumbled past like a miniature death star on legs "After all, even if it means making a deal with the devil himself, I'll go to any lengths to get what I want." She lifted out a pocket watch and nodded "Speaking of which, I suppose Kanako-chan has finished HER assignment by now."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"_And you're willing to pay this much to have him found?"_ a rather nervous sounding voice asked in Japanese, the owner a young man in a blue collar shirt. Across from him sat one of the scariest teenage girls he'd ever seen, dressed in what could only be referred to Gothic Lollita style clothing with a long eared cat on her lap, a LARGE suitcase filled with stacks of 500 dollar bills in front of him and his client.

"_This is merely the down payment." _Kanako replied calmly, FAR too calmly for a girl her age. "_You'll receive ten times as much upon delivery, with a bonus depending on the condition he's in."_ she eyed the woman across from her, looking her right in the eyes. _"However, if so much as a HAIR is harmed on his head you forfeit the rest of the reward, completion or no."_

Okajima 'Rock' Rokuro swallowed nervously, hoping against all hope that bullets weren't about to start flying. Not only had this girl had the audacity to say something like that to his client, but she was matching the older woman glare for glare, something not even his co-worker, the infamous 'two hands' Revy, dared to do. He relayed the message, watching his client's features for the first hint of trouble, only for the woman to smile, the burn scar along her face accenting it as she pulled out her cigar.

"Well now." Balalaika noted, the unopposed mafia queen of Roanapur extinguishing the cigar in an ashtray as she smiled, "Rock, please inform Miss Urashima that we at Hotel Moscow will gladly take on this assignment." She smiled at the girl, though Rock just knew she was appraising her as a future threat, "In fact, tell her I know just the company to get on the case."

Rock had a really good idea of just who was going to be given this job, he knew because he was a part of said crew, and they were the only ones outside Hotel Moscow that Balalaika put any amount of faith in. It didn't stop him from wishing he'd never agreed to accept the job as translator for this meeting, even if the Sergeant HAD been insistent. He'd have gladly taken a bullet to the skull rather than deal with that emotionless Lolita and a smiling Balalaika.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'I'm getting really sick of waking up in places I don't recognize.' Was Keitaro's first thought upon regaining consciousness, his second, after realizing he was no longer freezing to death, was along the lines of 'What the hell is hugging me?'

Not that he couldn't tell, the two mounds pressed against his bare back gave him a pretty good guess of what was going on. A quick run down of his current state of attire revealed that Yes, he was buck naked, whilst No, there WEREN'T any bottles lying around. That and his lack of a hangover seriously discredited any drunken revelry.

Well, that and the fact he was apparently lying on a cloak near a fire in an ice cave.

Turning slightly, the nervous Ronin felt the pit drop out of his stomach as a tousled blonde head raised up sleepily. "Mmmm? Keitaro?" Gina wondered, blinking as she espied the ronin attempting to scale the ice wall with his back turned to it. She blinked again as she took in his state of attire, a flush coming to her features as she got a good look at Keitaro-junior for the second time.

"SORRY!" the ronin yelled, trying to back away and actually scooting up the wall slightly in his effort to put as much distance between them as humanely possible "I didn't try anything! I just woke up!"

"Really?" Gina teased, pretending to sound disappointed while letting her eyes wander, not in the least bit embarassed as she watched the ronin flush scarlet "You didn't even cop a feel? I don't rate that much?"

"Not at all!" Keitaro replied, only to blush and wave his arms about "I mean…what I meant to say is…!"

He paused suddenly, Gina's eyes widening in shook as she noticed it as well. Their gaze slowly moved to regard the Ronin's right shoulder, which was completely healed.

"The heck?" Keitaro gaped, which pretty much summed up the situation at hand. He was nigh unkillable; sure, he could live with that. He healed quickly; no one was going to refute that either. But advanced healing factor or not, human's were physically incapable of regenerating a chunk of flesh in a matter of days, despite the warped minds of anime directors and manga artists.

"It feels real." Gina noted, running her hands over the shoulder, amazed at the lack of scar tissue "Can you feel anything?"

Keitaro shrugged, flexing his fingers, amazed at how natural it seemed, up until recently there'd always been a slight tug whenever he moved. He blinked suddenly and looked up into Gina's eyes, the two coming to the same abrupt realization that they were still undressed, and were currently VERY close. "A-ano…" Keitaro began nervously, the two looking into each other's eyes as the realization dawned on them.

Part of him, the part that was unarguably male, wanted to close the distance between them and damn the consequences; however, the part of him that had long been beaten into submission by the trials of Hinata-Sou was screaming at him to run away like the spineless little bastard the girls had demanded he be.

This of course led to some trouble, the two forces declaring war on the other, their armies colliding in a spectacular battle that was taking up all the concentration the Ronin needed to come to a decision.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gina, unaware of the Ronin's internal struggle, once again found herself gazing into the Ronin's chocolate brown eyes, his tousled hair giving him an absolutely adorable appearance as she leaned forwards, the distance between their lips closing ever so slowly.

"Ahem."

Gina had to suppress a sweat drop as Keitaro launched himself away from her like a grasshopper at the voice, inwardly cursing the intruder for showing up when he did. Grabbing the cloak and using it as a makeshift toga, she turned to face the figure in the entryway. His head was shaved and he wore silken clothing under his heavy cloak, obviously oriental in nature. Were it not for the bizarre tattoo over his left eye she would have mistaken him for a monk.

"Sorry to interrupt." The figure apologized humbly, enterring the cave with a slight stoop "My name is Kahn. I found you two on the mountain some time ago." He set down a bundle of clothes on the floor, "I trust you are alright?"

"Fine thanks." Gina assured him gratefully, still a little peeved at having the mood ruined, but more interested in getting some answers, and hopefully some warm clothes "Were you the one who healed Keitaro's shoulder too?"

"Shoulder?" Kahn repeated, looking up in confusion as the ronin held up the limb in question "Is there something wrong? I didn't notice any injuries before…well, other than the cut on your chest."

"I was pretty sure I had a scar here before." Keitaro replied, starting to feel a little calmer at the monk's query, though it did raise some questions. Did someone heal them before Kahn found them? Or was the bald man lying? "Wait...Chest?"

"Nothing serious." Kahn assured him, riffling through his pockets "I think THIS is the cause, you must have landed on it." He held up the stone arrowhead, still attached to the chain Gina had crafted to it. "Though this IS unusual..." Kahn commented, looking intrigued at the situation as Keitaro put the chain back on "However, I fear I have no answer for you, perhaps someone who found you prior tended the wound, but there was no sign of tracks in the blizzard other than signs of you being dragged."

"So we got some miracle surgeon walking around the freaking Himalayas." Gina muttered, pulling on her clothing, as the two men looked the other way "By the way, what's this weird colorless coating we're wearing?"

Keitaro blinked, noticing for the first time that his skin felt oddly akin to a glazed donut as Kahn spoke up. "It's insulating gel," the monk supplied tugging his collar to reveal he wore it under his clothes "it maintains our body temperature no matter how cold or hot it is." He smiled and gestured around the room "Believe it or not, it's well below freezing in here."

'Feels like a warm spring day to me.' Keitaro opined, intrigued and a little grossed out at the feeling of the gel as Gina agreed verbally, Kahn explaining the dose he'd used on them being enough to last a day at most.

"We'll leave for my city as soon as you are both dressed." The monk instructed, helping Keitaro into the unfamiliar clothing with the patience of Buddha himself "it is but a moments travel from this spot coincidentally, which is fortunate, as this is one of the paths I normally take on my trips outside."

"Jinkies! We could've frozen out here and you'd never have found us!" Gina exclaimed, grinning at Keitaro as the ronin swallowed audibly "Looks like your luck isn't as bad as you thought Keitaro."

"Just wait," The ronin noted with a weak chuckle, rolling his eyes as he hugged the fur-lined robes tight against his frame, not liking the cold one bit, especially after their near death experince "Something bad will happen, it always does."

"Karma can be a fickle mistress." Kahn agreed, leading the duo out of the cave with an experienced air, apparently having no fear of the treacherous terrain "But fear not, no harm shall befall you once we reach the city."

"You never actually told us the name of your city." Gina pointed out, falling in step just behind the bald man as Keitaro struggled through the drifts, unused to such heavy snow and nowhere near as athletic as the other two...unless it came to running away, in that, he was certain, he could beat a track medalist.

"Didn't I?" Kahn wondered, before shaking himself at the blunder "Why it's Shangri-La!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Well?"

"No luck sir." The captain replied, saluting respectfully "I found enough evidence to have the older members institutionalized and the foreigner deported but nothing about his whereabouts."

"Damn." The chief cursed, gnashing at the butt of his cigar, turning to address his three sergeants and one particularly scruffy looking pair of officers, one of which had the excuse of being an orangutan "Anything at all?"

"The foreigner has links to the Molmolian crown." The female sergeant revealed, reading off the report she'drecieved from the scruffier of the two officers to interrogate Su "She may in fact be one of the princesses."

"Damn! Is this about to get political?"

"Hopefully not," the scruffy HUMAN officer countered reassuringly, though he did send a certain primate a heated glare, to which the ape shrugged mournfully "they never bothered to fill in the immigration forms."

The chief gave the Gods silent thanks for a full second before turning to the larger sergeant who saluted. "The swordswoman's confessed to almost everything sir," the man reported "even to being the Hokkaido flasher, and that was a man."

"Remind me to give the corporal a raise." The chief replied, turning to the last sergeant, who was holding the rather embarrassed looking Orangutan by the scruff of its neck between two mammoth fingers. "And what have you to say for yourself?"

"Ook."

"I'm certain you are." The chief muttered, signing off a slip, "Just try to keep it in check, or at least take off the badge before you do, it counts as police brutality." He sighed and stood up, gathering his notes and dismissing his team with a nod as he made his way to the council room, making a mental note of the time and the traffic flow outside the building, as he had an important engagement to keep.

Reading to his only son was a task that simply couldn't be avoided, even should the infamous Urashima matriarch demand it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'I'm in a dream.' Keitaro wondered, feeling it was the only way to accept what was going on in his life 'I hit my head and am lying comatose and this is a dream.'

Someone bumped into the ronin, apologizing as they dashed off, crushing that trail of thought as he rubbed his aching right shoulder. He STILL couldn't believe the wound was gone, it had lasted far longer than any other he'd received and he was feeling oddly naked without it.

However, all that paled before the wonder that was the library of time which, according to Kahn, possessed every book ever written, and quite a few that had yet to, or never WOULD be, written.

"So this thing really knows exactly what you want?" the ronin asked, sweat dropping as Gina cackled madly over her own hoard of books, noticing the 'Uncensored Karma Sutra' at the very top and vowing to steer clear lest she decided to put the information within to use.

"All you need do is think of what you're looking for and the Codex will supply it." Kahn assured him, a little disturbed by the woman's antics himself. Keitaro merely nodded, before looking at the crescent moon shaped statue, only to blink as a book appeared out of nowhere in front of him.

'How to get into Tokyo University for Dummies. By U.K.'

"U.K?" he wondered, picking up the book and eyeing the English letters on the spine, despite the kanji on the cover "Do you know who that is?"

"According to Codex he's one of the greatest future archaeologists and scholars." Kahn replied, nodding at the book, "However, the Codex can't reveal his name because he only ever signed his writings as U.K, even when writing in Kanji."

"Weird." Keitaro muttered, opening the book to the first page, running his eyes over the print. '_I dedicate this book to my charming, loving wives, who prove that whilst dreams may not come true, reality can be just as pleasing, and that first love does not necessarily limit ones future choices.'_ he read, blinking at the words 'Wait...wives?'

"Hey Keitaro!" Gina called out, spooking the Ronin out of his daze and pointing at a random page from 'six easy steps to immortality' with a cheshire grin on her face "there's a picture of you in here!"

"Eh?" Keitaro blinked, running his eyes over the book, eyes bulging as he read the contents next to his picture.

'_Urashima Keitaro; 1987-????'_

_Quite possibly the earth's FIRST true immortal since the fall of magic; has proven that immortality can be obtained on a genetic level. Results show that sharing bodily fluids with the subject can have positive effects concerning ones health, youth and life expectancy.'_

"BODILY FLUIDS?!" the ronin shrieked, flushing scarlet as he promptly dropped the book like he'd been burnt, eyeing the stunned audience shakily "Erm…Wrong book!" he announced, bowing apologetically as everyone gave him a wide berth.

Gina giggled at this, before picking up the book and frowning at the lack of an author. "There isn't even a publishing date." She noted, looking up at Kahn expectantly "Who wrote this?"

"Even I'm not entirely certain." Kahn admitted, raising an eyebrow as he took in Keitaro's stunned features and the, admittedly older, picture in the book "However, its safe to assume it's a future acquaintance of Keitaro's."

"Or maybe more than just an acquaintance." Gina teased; eyeing the ronin in a way that made him feel very exposed, despite the thick layer of clothing Kahn had given him. "Bodily Fluids, huh? Wonder what they meant by that?"

Keitaro let out a noise that sounded something like 'mimblewimble' before his eyes rolled up into his head and he passed out.

"Does this happen a lot?" Kahn asked, kneeling down next to the ronin concernedly, as Gina shook her head in wry amusement.

"You've NO idea." She replied, a frown crossing her features as she remembered something from earlier as she held up a checkout receipt before her like a crucifix. "By the way, what's the idea letting a totally evil wizard like Gyphon get his hands on a tome like 'Horrible forces of the universe and how to use them?!"

"I can't instantly tell a good borrower from an evil one." Kahn replied calmly "I only learned of Gyphon's true nature after he RETURNED the book!" he lowered his head, "If only I had known…perhaps then she wouldn't have gotten involved."

"She?" Gina repeated only for Keitaro to grunt something about 'Toudai' in his sleep, snapping the librarian out of his thoughts.

"Come." Kahn insisted, picking the slumbering ronin up in his arms, "I'll place him in my chambers, could you keep watch over him while I fetch something to rouse him?"

Gina nodded, following the sage to his private chambers, where he placed the recumbent form of Keitaro under the sheets, stripping him down to his undergarments for comfort.

"I'll lock up the door to the keep." Kahn instructed, "Then bring something for him to drink later." He bowed, smiling at them, before turning on his heel.

'Nice buns.' Gina noted, a sly look crossing her features, before a dull moan from the still unconscious Keitaro drew her attention. Grinning mischievously, she checked to make sure no one was watching, before looking round for a bathroom, deciding to have a little fun after freshening up.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the blonde genius left however, there was a flash of light, and a well endowed young woman leapt through a portal into the room, her once royal dress in tatters. "We did it subtracto!" she cheered, "After all the dangers, all the perils, we're finally back in Shangri-La! We're HOME!"

"You're home Lyn." The floating ball countered in an exasperated voice "MY home is the place you first found me, the Astral Rifts!"

The Princess of Shangri-La scoffed, dismissing her companion's words with a gesture as she took in her surroundings, cheering at how she'd landed right in the quarters of her 'future mate'. "Lyn!" Subtracto cautioned, sensing someone in the room across from her "My sensors detect someone in the bed!"

"That's probably him!" Lyn realized in a whisper, dimming the lights in the room and reaching for her pants, glaring over her shoulder at the sphere "Don't Peek!"

'Who would?' the sphere muttered, sighing as it nonetheless avoided looking at the princess as she disrobed, startled as she crawled under the sheets, mentally wondering if he should clear out, only to blink as another woman entered the room, even as Lyn's cooing noises were muffled by the covers. 'Where'd she come from?' the sphere wondered, realizing in detached horror that the blonde was climbing into the bed as well, and that she wasn't wearing anything either. 'This won't end well.' The sphere predicted, before activating its video recorder to savor the moment.

What? Even advanced super computers need to kick back and have fun.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gina grinned as she embraced the figure under the blanket, already imagining the look on Keitaro's face when the ronin awoke. She was surprised however, when a set of hands wrapped around her bottom, giving it a healthy grope. 'Feeling frisky is he?' she thought approvingly, returning the favor and receiving a sharp gasp in response, as she pressed forwards. She paused abruptly as she bumped into something strange, something surprisingly soft, yet firm, and oddly familiar, just as Keitaro opened his eyes beneath the covers.

The ronin reached out with his hands, only to blink as he encountered the ever-familiar round mass under his hands, earning a definitely feminine moan. "Oh Kaaahn…" the woman moaned, leaning forward, her breasts trailing across his chest, the sound of kissing sounding under the blankets, only for the cover to be yanked off the bed a stunned Kahn gaping down at the sight before him.

"Princess Lyn?"

The princess paused, eyes opening in shock as she realized she wasn't currently locking lips with her beloved but a rather surprised blonde woman, the two of them apparently leaning over a rather startled young man, who looked absolutely terrified as she gazed at him in shock, his hands having subconsciously goosed the two of them.

"I'm going to die now aren't I?" the man stated, just before Lyn slammed her foot into his face.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the Pool of Legends, Brittany and Mesha were currently laughing their arses off, having witnessed the whole chain of events whilst trying to locate Gina. "This just isn't his week is it?" Mesha giggled, as Keitaro slid headfirst across the floor, Kahn holding Lyn back as she threatened to smash the ronin with the sage's bed.

"Look at Gina!" Brittany cackled rolling on the floor at the sight of her sister's gob-smacked expression "She can't believe she just frenched a girl!"

They hadn't noticed, in their glee, that Keitaro seemed to be moving slightly faster than normal as he practically ran through the door of the keep like his life depended on it, an enraged Lynn hot on his trail.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"HENTAI!"

*CRASH!*

"SUMIMASEN!"

"ECCHI!"

*SMASH!*

"GOMEN NASAI!"

"SUKUBE!"

*SLASH!*

"DASKETEEEEE!!!!!"

The immortal, apparently literally, Ronin launched himself round the corner, an enraged Lyn following in his wake, wielding a rather impressive pair of blue dragon swords in each hand, which had currently sliced through various tables, doors, and even a poor golem that had been stacking books. "I didn't mean to!" he swore, only for the princess to scream at him in a mixture of various mandarin and English, which while unintelligible to most men, was easily understandable to a veteran of Womanly Wrath like Keitaro, and he shifted into a higher gear as he took the next corner.

Sadly, this turned out to be his downfall, as it led to a dead-end.

"Nowhere to run now." The princess panted, rather impressed at how hard the insolent man had pressed her to catch him. She raised her sword over her head and smirked "Any last requests?"

"Don't kill me?" Keitaro tried hopefully, only to grin as she scowled at him, "Worth a shot right?" he joked, only to scream and raise his arms above him defensively as he dove between the startle monarch's legs, skidding to his feet and rushing down the corridor.

Lyn sweatdropped as she noticed how fast the Ronin was moving, numbly wondering if she was chasing some sort of track medallist, before renewing the hunt, screaming in mandarin for him to return and face her.

Neither of them seemed to have noticed that, for the briefest of moments as Keitaro leapt, time had seemed to stand still.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'What's happening to me?' Keitaro wondered, his breath not even labored as he rounded another corner 'I've never been able to outrun someone like that…I heal fast but Cheetah practically bit my arm off!' he slid under a table, startling a pair of scholars as they gaped after him in shock 'And to top it all off…why do I keep imagining jungle drums?!'

Keitaro swore as something, predictably, got tangled up in his legs, sending him head over heals into a bookshelf. 'I'm doomed.' He muttered, waiting with baited breath as Lyn's cursing got closer, the irate princess of Shangri-La rounding the corner with her swords in hand just as a metric tone of heavy tomes landed on the Ronin's head in an avalanche. Through the haze of pain, he trembled as she looked around the room in annoyance, the look of rage dimming slightly in her eyes as she smiled smugly at the trapped ronin.

"Nowhere to run now." Lynn pointed out, pointing at the man with her swords, "Have you prepared your epitaph, you gutless shrimp of a man?"

'Gutless shrimp?' Keitaro repeated, flinching at the words, before looking up at her in desperation. He was pretty she was going to kill him, or at least make a good show of it, and he highly doubted he could escape her a second time, especially since these tomes weighed more than he did.

"DIE!" Lynn yelled, bringing her swords down on his head, the edges practically screaming for his neck as Keitaro snapped his eyes shut.

SOMETHING burst out from under the tomes with him, shattering the swords and sending Lynn flying down the corridor, a look of startled confusion in her face, before she crashed into one of the bookshelves, burying her under twice as many tomes as Keitaro, the shelves coming down on top of her.

Keitaro blinked, too surprised that he hadn't lost his head to think at the moment, only to panic as something picked him up by the scruff of neck and set him on his feet, turning his head in alarm just in time to see a gold plated shoulder pad disappear behind him, like a ghost fading out.

'I have a BAAAAD feeling about this.' The Ronin muttered, turning nervously to a conveniently placed mirror to regard himself, shivering as he caught sigh of a large, muscular blue figure in Aztec armor hovering behind him.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUUN!!!!!!

Yes, the Hinata police force is composed of Pratchett clones, i think it fits.

NORMAL police would've arrested the harem, or taken Keitaro into protective custody, the first DAY he set foot in the dorms.

That said, Keitaro's uncovered some really big facts about himself...and things are only going to get more...Bizarre, by the minute!

Halibel: Interesting.

Kyugan: isn't it?

R&R or be beset by the hounds!

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

I have to admit, I'm rather chuffed with how well this has been recieved.

To dragonienandshikamaru; I know, he was nigh unstoppable before, with Star Platinum awake NOTHING's gonna get close to him.

To Nanya; Well, I wanted to make it clear just how far Granny Hina would go to get her grandson back. And the Lagoon crew DO get results.

To SketchFan; More madness to come bro.

Halibel: Suspicious.

Kyugan: Really?

* * *

Chapter 6.

Armageddon roared defiance as the Atlantean defenses opened fire on it, a hail of powerful laser fire and other nasty forms of death battering against it in a bid to wipe the monstrosity off the face of the ocean floor. So far they'd only managed to get its undivided attention, which for the record, WASN'T the smartest thing to do. It DID however allow for the team sent in to disable the automaton's power source to beat a hasty retreat.

Cheetah looked up in the midst of her fondle…er, EXAMINATION of her beloved Kryn Prince, despite Stripe's assurances of his well being as Penny chided her, reminding her that Tyr was ready to send her after Gina and Keitaro. "Honestly," Gina's rival muttered, looking at the lycanthrope in annoyance "You're getting as bad as Gina these days!"

"Well!" the were-cheetah exclaimed in annoyance, "At least I'M not a VIRGIN, unlike some frigid people I know!"

Penny's look of utter embarrassment almost made it worth the look of confusion on Stripes face. Almost. So after reassuring the Kryn prince that she did indeed still have her virtue, the adopted sibling of Gina Diggers stepped through the portal Tyr opened and found herself standing right in front of her errant sibling. "CHEETAH!" Gina cried, leaping into the startled Lycan's arms "Oh, I never thought I'd be so glad to see my baby sister!"

"Okay, Okay I missed you too!" Cheetah chuckled good naturedly "Lay off the mushy hugs! You're getting my coat all sweaty!"

Kahn chose to wait before the reunion was completed before clearing his throat tactfully, introducing himself to the lycanthrope before bringing her up to date. "Yeah, we saw all that in the pool." Cheetah admitted, grinning at the flush on Gina's face "First time kissing a girl eh sis? How was it!"

"If I may?" Kahn began, trying to diffuse the situation before Gina set fire to something with her blush or bare hands "We're trying to locate Keitaro and Princess Lynn, preferably BEFORE they find each other."

"Right, Lynn's the one with the big rack right?" Cheetah asked sarcastically, Gina chortling at the joke concerning Keitaro's diminutive physique, before waving her hand dismissively tilting her head slightly "Anything else?"

"Yeah, watch out for those swords of hers." Gina warned, pointing behind them at the Golem, who was still shelving books despite being severed at the waist.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'Well…this is new.' Keitaro noted, feeling oddly calm despite himself as he placed a hand to the mirror's surface, the silent specter behind him copying his movements, causing the glass to crack under the preassure.

He wasn't too surprised, after all, he'd read enough ghost stories to know that those that had near death experiences tended to pick up a few unwanted tagalongs. The problem was he'd seen his life flash before him numerous times in the past, and this certainly didn't look like any ghost he'd ever heard of before, for one thing he didn't know of anyone with blue skin.

'Perhaps it's Atlantean?' he wondered, taking in the being's stern, watchful features, only to shake his head 'No fins…maybe alien?' He flexed his fingers, watching curiously as it mimicked him, 'or something I picked up on the mountain?'

Shaking his head, he eyed the pile of tomes that had fallen to the ground in dismay, wondering if he'd be charged for handling them so roughly and just how he was going to get them back, only to blink as the specter began picking them up and returning them to their rightful positions as if they weighed nothing at all. 'Looks like it reacts to my will.' He noted, sweat-dropping as it returned to it's silent vigil at his back, 'I wonder what the downsides are?' he muttered, just knowing there was fine print somewhere only to blink as he heard a familiar voice calling out.

"Oi! Keitaro!" Cheetah's voice echoed around the corners, drawing ever closer to the ronin's position amidst the sound of footsteps and what sounded like a heatedly conversing Gina and Khan "You in here? C'mon we're going!"

'CRAP!' Keitaro swore, ducking behind a pillar as he heard them round a corner, his eyes wide with terror as the Spirit, whatever it was, hovered near him protectively 'This is bad! I gotta hide this thing!'

"I think I heard something behind that pillar." Cheetah noted, Keitaro's eyes widening as he heard them coming closer, cursing the lycanthrope's sharp hearing before shutting his eyes and beginning a silent mantra inside his head.

'Hide! Hide! Hide! Hide! Hide! Hide! Hide! Hide! Hide!' the Ronin pleaded, teeth grit tight as he focused within 'Hide! Hide! Hide! Hide! Hide! Hide! Hide! PLEASE Hide!'

He flinched as the spirit seemed to draw closer, a light sigh escaping from him as he felt it fade into his back with a feeling that could only be described as a full-body sneeze. Eyes opening he looked up into the confused face of Cheetah, who had just rounded the corner. "What're you doing hiding back here for?" the lycanthrope wondered, eyeing the half-naked Ronin in confusion, "For that matter, what happened to your shorts?"

Keitaro didn't have long to think of an excuse, for at that moment Lynn charged around the corner with a battle-axe in her hands, eyes locking onto the nervous Ronin like guided missiles, one of which was sporting a magnificent shiner. "I have you now!" she cried, leaping at the terrified figure before her, only to blink as she was caught in mid-air, held up by the back of her robes by an annoyed looking Cheetah.

"Now this can go two ways." Cheetah began, letting her fangs grow slightly for emphasis "There's the easy way which is very easy, and consists of you calming the heck down and promising not to harm anyone."

It didn't take a genius to know that Lynn wouldn't like to find out what the HARD way was. So with a huff, the Princess promised on her honour not to castrate the relieved Ronin, though this didn't stop her from glaring pointedly at him as they made their way back to the portal, Gina making a quick pit-stop to pick up the books they'd been looking at, before sending them back to her father's library courtesy of her handy-dandy light-gate generator.

"Thanks for everything Kahn." Keitaro offered, while Gina had Cheetah bring her up to speed with what was going on "And sorry about all the trouble." He added with a nervous smile, scratching the back of his neck as he watched several golems carrying repair tools rumble past.

"Not at all." Kahn assured the Ronin, a benign smile on his tattooed face as they shook hands, "Princess Lynn has returned," he reminded the ronin "and I am certain that with time she'll forget what happened here."

'I doubt it.' Keitaro muttered, eyeing the aura of DOOM that hung over the princess as she glared spitfire at him, making a mental note to bring a peace offering the next time he came here...that or a riot shield. He blinked, looking back as Cheetah grabbed him by the collar of the Gi Kahn had leant him (Arctic wear wouldn't be practical in Atlantis) only to yelp comically as he was dragged after the sisters as they entered the portal.

"A most charming group." Kahn noted with a smile, Keitaro's exclamation of alarm getting promptly cut off as the portal shut "I hope they choose to visit again." He blinked as a pair of arms wrapped around him, blushing at the feel of two large, squishy mounds pressed against his back.

"Ka-hn" Lyn purred, in a manner that sent a shiver down the librarian's spine "Your Empress requires your attention."

Needless to say it was a good thing the requirements for becoming a sage didn't include celibacy.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Princess Tyr?" Stripe whispered, drawing the monarch aside to avoid worrying the refugees that had been pouring in with their cladestine conversation "Are your forces enough to stop Armageddon?"

"I fear not!" Tyr replied, looking devastated at her peoples' suffering as a mother walked past, trying to calm her wailing babe to no avail "Atlantis is surely doomed if we don't do something soon!"

"The send me back!" the Kryn prince insisted, ignoring her denials and concern for his safety "Millions will suffer unless that thing is stopped here and now!" he stated, face set with resolve "Before that, MY life means noth-!"

"DON'T YOU DARE FINISH THAT SENTENCE STRIPE!" cheetah yelled, raising herself out of the pool like some vengeful sprite as Gina dragged a waterlogged Keitaro out by his collar. "If you think for one minute that I'm gonna let you-!" She trailed off as a glow erupted from the pool, heralding a burst of familiar maniacal laughter as Gyphon's face appeared in a pillar of water.

"Didn't Armageddon squish him to a paste?" Keitaro asked, idly pulling a fish out of his gi as he wondered if there was another person out there with his 'immortality factor'. He hadn'tgotten a good look at Gina's book earlier so he couldn't be certain.

"I'm pretty sure it DID." Gina replied, the group getting into an earnest discussion, as Gyphon grew steadily more annoyed at being ignored. He was a vengefull spirit of pure destruction dammit! How could they NOT give him their undivided attention?!

"ENOUGH!" the mage bellowed at last, causing the cavern walls to tremble "UNLESS YOU WANT THE SEAS TO FLOW RED WITH BLOOD YOU'LL ALL SURRENDER TO ME BY TOMMORROW'S END!" and with that he disappeared he water falling back into the pool, drenching the onlookers in the process.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the seabed." Ace muttered sullenly, slapping his ears to get the water out "G? I hope you got a plan, 'cause things are REALLY buggin' out down here."

"Not to worry!" Gina assured him, while Keitaro tried to find his glasses, the specs having been washed off in the flood Gyphon's exit had produced "Just you leave everything to me-EEEEEEE-!"

"We're doomed." Penny muttered, as Keitaro knocked her rival off her feet, the duo landing in a tangle of arms and legs that could have looked suspicious to anyone else. Well, a few atlanteans looked a little scandalized, but then they'd never met the ronin.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naru moaned as she slowly came to, wondering if anyone got the number of the building that ran her over. Blinking blearily, the sound of chains rattling on her straight jacket revealed that it hadn't been a dream.

"You okay Naru?" Kitsune's voice called out, the leader of the Hinata Harem turning to eye her best friend, blinking at the sight before her. "Something on my face?" the resident fox asked jokingly, patting her face for emphasis, the shackles around her wrists clanking as she moved.

"How come YOU"RE not trussed up?!" Naru asked, feeling indignant at the thought of being the only one treated like a nutcase. I mean she was a Toudai initiate for crying out loud! They couldn't treat her like some wanted felon!

"Motoko's wearing one too." Kitsune pointed out, thumbing into a corner, where the resident Kendo-ka was rocking back and forth, her knees drawn up to her chest and a traumatized look on her face.

"Can't sleep…boils will get me…can't sleep…boils will get me…"

Naru sweatdropped, suddenly feeling a lot better about herself as she looked around the dingy cell suspiciously "Where're Su, Shinobu and Mutsumi?" she asked, noting that half the Hinata crew were missing.

"No clue." Kitsune admitted, shrugging offhandedly, "Motoko was already in here when I got thrown in." she sighed, looking absolutely disgusted at her self "I tried flirting with the guard, big mistake."

"Jealous girlfriend?" Naru replied, wincing at the thought but not surprised that her friend would use her figure to her advantage. I mean it was Kitsune for crying out loud! She even flirted with Keitaro to get out of paying the rent!

"Thick as a brick." Kitsune countered, looking embarrassed at Naru look of disbelief "I swear he was like a Neanderthal, kept asking the same questions over and over again no matter what I said."

"The boils…" Motoko muttered unintelligibly, sounding lost and far away, her skin shuddering in revulsion as she tried to make herself smaller in her corner "They're everywhere…so many…no escape…"

"I think they did something to Motoko." The fox muttered, sweat dropping as soon as she said it, before sighing and shaking her head in defeat at the situation "But she won't snap out of it to tell me what."

"This is all that pervert's fault!" Naru swore, thrashing in her restraints ineffectively "I'll bet those perverts are in cahoots with them and they're taking advantage of Mutsumi, Su and Shinobu right now!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shinobu gazed in awe at the sight before her, unable to believe that something could be that big. She stared at it in awe, before turning to the officer on her right. "Is it…for me?" she asked, hardly daring to hope.

"Yes it is." The Captain replied, a smile on his face, "It's all yours Shinobu-chan."

Shinobu squealed and leapt forward, pouncing on the massive, limited edition life-size 'Rocket-man' plushy and rolling around with it on the ground. The assembled senior officers of the Hinata police force felt a slight warmth in their gnarled, knotted hearts at the sight.

"She must really like dat Keitaro guy." The massive sergeant noted, eyeing the little girl as she latched onto the plushy like a limpet. A rather amourous, jail-baiting limpet that could whip up a mean dish, but a limpit nontheless.

"Young love is truly a beautiful thing to behold." The captain replied, smiling fondly as the girl rubbed her face into the doll's shirt in what would have been a disturbing manner if she wasn't so gosh darn cute "It was nice of you to fetch it for her."

"Wasn' doin much." The sergeant replied, shrugging his shoulders offhandedly, "So I went to dem tourism guys and says: 'You gimme der best doll on market for little gurl.' And dey gimme dis."

"And I'm certain you PAID for it right?" the captain insisted, smiling up at the sergeant, who's eyes, despite their bestial glare, seemed to twinkle in what could have passed for silent mirth in a troll.

"I tried payin'" he admitted, his lips quirking at the edges "but dey says 'no need to pay, on der house don't shoot', so I picked it up an' came back 'ere."

The captain eyed the massive Vulcan Cannon strapped to the sergeant's back, nodded slowly, before turning to address the young woman at his side. "And thank YOU for the plans to the Hinata dorms, agent 623." He offered gratefully, "We couldn't have pulled off the mission without you."

"Ara-Ara!" the infamous agent 623 replied, smiling politely up at the man with her hands clapped together "Not at all, I was glad to help out." She eyed the ecstatic Shinobu for a moment, before turning to the captain "Any news?"

"We're still trying to locate any signs of Keitaro-kun." The captain assured her, not wanting to have to deal with the infamous 623 digging deeper into their affairs "Don't worry, the chief won't let us down."

"Ara-Ara I'm not worried!" the elusive 623 assured the man, smiling pleasantly up at him as she held up a plate, upon which lay several watermelon slices "Want some?" she offered cheerfully "They're full of vitamins!"

"My mother always told me those could kill me." the scruffy looking sergeant muttered suspiciosuly, but everyone, including the orangutan, took a slice and chomped away without much fuss. It was that or invoke the ire of agent 623.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keitaro whistled as he walked down the corridor of Gina's underground lab, internally wondering if this was still a dream.

He'd come back with Gina, Stripe and Cheetah rather than stay behind in Atlantis, not really digging the seafood diet all that much, and wasn't regretting the decision in the slightest. The Ronin was currently nose deep into 'Getting into Tokyo U for Dummies', marveling at how easy and well planned the study techniques were, when the sounds of a scuffle came to his attention.

Blinking in confusion, he realized he'd walked past the door to the gym, from which the sounds had emanated. His curiosity getting the better of him, the Ronin opened the door just in time to see Cheetah purr like a kitten as she caressed Stripe's embarrassed face. "Um…" he stammered, startling the duo as he chuckled nervously, "Wow…um…I've heard of 'petting' and all but…um…" he chuckled "Wouldn't you be better off doing that in your room or something?"

"PERV'RRRRT!" Cheetah snarled, subconsciously shifting into her full hunting mode and lunging at the Ronin, scaring at least ten years off his life as he launched himself down the corridor, at alarming speeds.

"GOMEN NASAIIIII!!!!!"

Cheetah blinked, gazing after the Ronin in surprise. She could have sworn he was right under her when she'd lunged, yet for some reason he'd actually gone from standing like a deer in the headlights to halfway down the corridor in the blink of an eye. "Chee…Cheetah?!" Stripe gaped, startled at her sudden change and even more sudden ferocity, causing the lycanthrope to flinch and change back.

"Stripe? What's wrong honey?" she began, looking at him in concern as she shifted back, looking nervous "Please don't look at me that way…" she looked him over desperately "You…you're not afraid of me are you?"

"I…I had no idea how dangerous you become if you lose your temper." The lord of El-Dorado muttered, not looking her in the eye "No idea at all…" he looked away "I-I'll be back Cheetah." He stated shakily "I have to…take a break."

He stepped out of the gym, just as a confused looking Gina came in, to find her sister cursing on the floor. "DAMMIT! $#%&!!" Cheetah swore, as her sister put two and two together from the claw marks on the floor and her torn clothing "How could I have been so careless?!"

"Yeah, but he knows you're a lycanthrope." Gina reasoned consolingly, patting her fretting sibling on the shoulder as best she could, the girl was over seven feet tall "He KNOWS you can change form and stuff."

"BUT he's never seen my CHEETAH form before." Cheetah countered "THAT form's nothing but teeth, claws and Razor-blade coated vocal chords!" she blinked suddenly "What are you doing here anyway? The only time YOU use the gym is after dinner on the treadmill."

"Oh yeah…" Gina noted, wincing slightly, knowing this was probably the worst time to be the bearer of bad news "Figured you'd want a head's up, Dad wants to meet the guys," she nodded at Brittany knowingly "ESPECIALLY Stripe."

"Oh no." Cheetah moaned, getting to her feet with a look of long-suffering dread "Not the whole boyfriend-to-father chat thing."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'DAMN that was scary!' Keitaro gasped, making a mental note not to piss Cheetah off again in future as he felt his pulse drop from mach one to something a little more comfortable. In his distress he noticed he'd somehow gotten himself back up to the main house.

"I'd hate to be stuck down there." He sighed as he thought back to the winding corridors and Gina's arsenal of things that were designed to hurt anything they didn't recognize, which for the moment included him "I'd probably set off Defcon 10 or something…"

"Keitaro?" Stripe's voice called out from the side, the Ronin turning to see the Kryn prince leaning against a window, looking up at him in surprise as he made his way towards him "I didn't see you there."

"I'm sorry about earlier." The ronin offered, wondering if he'd walked in on a 'private' moment between the two "I really should've knocked, curiosity killed the cat and all." He winced as he realized whom he was talking to "No offence meant."

"None taken." The Kryn prince chuckled, honestly amused at the reference, it DID suit the situation to a tee rather well, before looking out the window again, arms crossed and a solemn look on his face.

"Something wrong?" the Ronin asked concernedly, walking up beside the taller Kryn, leaning against the windowsill to rest his legs. The two stood in silence for a few seconds, before the Prince sighed softly, shaking his head.

"I'm…worried I may not be right for Cheetah." Stripe admitted at length, earning a look of surprise from the Ronin. "In my homeland I was raised to be the strongest of my people in order to protect them. Being around Chee…Brittany, makes me feel insufficient." He shivered as he recalled her beast form "Her power is too intimidating."

"Is that all?" Keitaro asked, looking at the man in surprise "That's all that's bothering you?" he shook his head in disbelief "Stripe we've both known Cheetah-san and Gina-san for the same amount of time, surely you aren't the only one who hasn't noticed how gentle Cheetah is when she's around you?"

Stripe blinked, looking at Keitaro in confusion as he elaborated. "Sure she's tough," the ronin insisted "for crying out loud have you SEEN the stuff she's done?" he waved an arm for emphasis "But around you she lets her guard down, she acts like a REAL girl, not some hyped up super hero from a comic book." The Ronin smiled at the Kryn "She lets you see the side of her only her family sees, to me that's not intimidating at all."

"Well put." An older voice noted, the two men snapping round to face a bearded, older man in a smoking jacket. His hands held behind his back "A fine summarization, couldn't have put it better myself." He nodded to them again "Stripe of El Dorado and Urashima Keitaro I presume?" he turned to face the Kryn "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation and while I can understand your concern Stripe, your BEING counters what you believe in your mind." He held up a finger "You're using Cheetah's abilities as a scapegoat to cover your own insecurities and your fear of commitment." He smiled kindly "I don't condemn your fears, commitment IS daunting, but look at what you stand to gain from it."

"You must be Doctor Diggers," Stripe acknowledged "Gina's father and Cheetah's guardian." He nodded in understanding "Perhaps you're right, Gina informed me that as a magic user you can read and interpret the aura of a person, so what you say is true." He nodded, "I'll think deeply about what you said."

"Stripe?" Cheetah called out, looking between the men carefully as she made her way towards the prince. "Are you okay?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Let's leave those two alone." Dr. Diggers suggested, placing a hand on Keitaro's shoulder and walking down the hallway with him, Cheetah and Stripe's conversation dulling as they rounded a corner out of sight.

'This is Gina-san's father?' the Ronin wondered, looking into the man's features, recognizing Gina's blue eyes in the man's handsome, bearded face 'And did Stripe say he was a mage? I wonder if he's more powerful than Gyphon?'

"While I prefer not to blow my own horn." Dr. Diggers opined a small smile crossing his features "I will admit to be QUITE above the skill level of Gyphon." His smile widened at the ronin's look of surprise "Don't be alarmed, as Stripe said, I'm quite adept at reading people." He smiled at the Ronin, looking him over carefully as he did so, "So you're the supposed 'immortal' that Gina's been dragging along with her?"

Keitaro dimly imagined a shotgun being polished somewhere but pushed it aside "Ano…I'm sorry if I've been any trouble Doctor." He stammered, scratching his head "I mean, I'm more of a hindrance on missions and I know I'm a klutz-"

"But you've put yourself in danger when you had no reason top do so and rather than let Cheetah fret over what happened at El Dorado you put her safety above your own." Dr. Diggers cut in, a smile on his face as the Ronin blinked "Thank you for looking after my girls, and I'm sorry for all the trouble you've been through."

"N-not at all!" Keitaro stammered, a little thrown at how well he was being treated, he was used to being berated for things that WEREN'T is fault. To be appraised for his actions was new to him. It completely threw off his game plan.

"Also." The doctor cut in "While I commend your desire to protect them, don't you think concealing your little tagalong to be a tad unfair?" he sighed at the ronin's look of surprise "As I said, I'm good at reading people." He looked over the man's shoulder, Keitaro realizing that the specter was hovering just behind him, arms at its sides but eyes narrowed like a hawk's.

"You can see this thing Doctor?" Keitaro asked, pointing over his shoulder at the spirit in surprise. Thus far no-one had been able to see the thing but him, even Tark and Mesha hadn't reacted to it, though they seemed a little confused around him at times, sending him odd looks. And there was that one time he'd almost bumbed into Mesha and the spirit had pushed her back, the elf looking around wildly for the culprit that had grabbed her chest.

"Quite clearly." Dr. Diggers assured the ronin, quirking an eyebrow at the apparition behind the man as he spoke "What fascinates me is that it appears to be composed out of your own aura, rather than having attached itself as most spirits do."

"So what, this things a part of me?" Keitaro wondered, looking over at the muscular spirit in dazed confusion as it continued to stand guard behind him "But…I don't look anything like that!" he insisted, pointing at it for emphasis.

"Not physically." Doctor Diggers noted, chuckling slightly at the boy's distress, "But your aura is fairly large for someone your age." he explained "I've seen adept Aura-mages that would kill for one such as yours."

"What exactly is an Aura?" Keitaro asked, turning back to the Doctor as they continued to walk, the ronin scratching his head in confusion as he tried to comprehend everything the man was telling him at once "I mean, is it like Ki or something?"

"No, Ki is the life-energy of the human body." Doctor Diggers contradicted "Likewise Chi refers to the life energy that surrounds us from Plants, the Earth etc." he held up a hand, a glowing aura surrounding it as he spoken "Aura, on the other hand, is the energy of the human spirit, and can be used in a variety of ways that Ki cannot, though the same could be said for Ki in other fields."

"Sounds complicated." Keitaro noted, sweat dropping as the explanation went right over his head, only to blink as the Doctor patted him companionably on the shoulder, an almost grandfatherly smile on his face.

"You're a good man Mr. Urashima." the archmage stated, smiling at the confused Ronin as he spoke "But you shouldn't heap so much on your shoulders," he chastised, though it was more of a gentle rebuke "let other help out too."

"Dad?" Gina called out, rounding the corner with a look of surprise, looking between her father and the startled Ronin in confusion, and a little concern "So that's where you went! Have you seen Cheetah and Stripe?"

"I left them chatting a while back." The doctor replied, before patting Keitaro again on the shoulder "Take care of yourself Keitaro." He paused "Oh! And come talk to me if you have any further questions, I know a few good universities that'd be happy to have you." He offered, before promptly fading out of existence.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Well I'll be." Gina noted, a pleased smile spreading across her face as she watched her father disappear to places unknown, and probably best left unsaid, all thing sconsidered "You two actually clicked!"

"Eh?" Keitaro asked, blinking out of his stunned trance at the mage's exit to gape at the woman, wondering if he'd inadvertently passed some sort of bizarre test without noticing (it wouldn't have been the first time ^_^) .

"Dad's really protective of me and Cheets," Gina replied with a loving, yet long-suffering smile "You know how most fathers polish a shotgun in front of their daughter's dates?" she asked at the Ronin's confused look "Well MY dad magically set his HEAD on fire."

Keitaro blanched at the thought, envisioning sitting across from a Ghost-Rider like Dr. Diggers stroking a magical shotgun, earning a chuckle from Gina as she guessed the cause for his distress. "Don't let it bother you," the archaeologist assured the ronin "the fact he didn't use it means he saw something in you he liked."

'Why doesn't that fill me with confidence?' the Ronin muttered darkly. After all, as a mind reader, there were several things he'd rather the doctor didn't see…his 'accidents' at the inn for example. Or the collection of hentai magazine's he'd collected during his ronin years.

"Anyways, forget about that and help me find Cheetah and Stripe would you?" Gina asked, tugging him out of his thoughts as she dragged him down the hallway, "I've already checked her room so an extra pair of hands could really help out."

"What about the guestrooms?" Keitaro tried, wondering if this was such a good idea, knowing what Cheetah was likely to do if they interrupted her again. His suspicions were confirmed when the first door he turned to examine had a sign on the handle reading:

DO NOT DISTURB! Especially YOU Gina!!'

"Found 'em?" Gina asked, noticing him hesitate in front of a door, "What's the matter? Are they in there?"

Before Keitaro could stop her, the blonde had reached past him and opened the door, their eyes bulging at the sight before them, before Keitaro grabbed Gina and slammed the door shut behind them, face redder than a boiled lobster as he dragged her down the corridor at top speed, just as a disgruntled looking cheetah stuck her head out the door, glaring pointedly at them.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Sorry about that." Keitaro apologized for what felt to be the umpteenth time, "I tried to stop her but..." he gestured helplessly towards Gina, who was trying to get Cheetah to speak to her again, albeit ineffectively.

"It's quite alright." Stripe assured the ronin, knowing it wasn't his fault "We really shouldn't have been doing THAT with the door unlocked."

Keitaro blushed at the memory of what he'd seen, knowing that his friend Haitani, 'or was it Shirai?' would've died and gone to pervert heaven at the sight of the two cat-people going at it like, well…cats in heat.

"What's up with those two?" Ace asked, looking over his shoulder in confusion at the Diggers sisters as Gina continued to apologize "What happened while you guys were at the mansion while I was getting this C-130 ready?"

"Um Ace?" Keitaro asked concernedly, eyeing the dashboard in alarm even as Stripe stiffly informed the pilot he was better off not knowing "What's that blinking red light on the control panel mean?"

"Holy Smoke!" Ace swore, "Someone's got a missile lock on us!" he pressed a few switched as he spoke "I better identify my I.F.F code before those scrubs blow us away!" He blinked as the radio cracked as soon as the code was activated.

_"T'anks fa confoimin' who youse is wit' dat I.F.F code, Ace ol' buddy-boy!"_ a female voice with a thick Brooklyn accent cackled over the speakers _"Now me N' my Night Flight can blow youse ta Kingdom-SMITHEREENS!"_

"Old girlfriend?" Keitaro asked innocently, earning a deadpan look from the pilot and a snort from Stripe, just as a missile rocketed past, missing them by scant centimeters, but shaking the plane all the same as it detonated.

"ACE!" Gina yelled, coming up from the back, her eyes wide and her precious trilby perched at an angle on her head "You're console is buzzing like a hornet's nest in a blender! What's going on out there?"

"Nothing serious." Ace replied with a shrug as he flicked a few levers, deviating slightly from the original flight path as he kept a watchful eye on the radar "They just unloaded all their missiles at us s'all."

"You don't seem to worried about it!" Keitaro yelled,looking decidedly put on by his friend's calm demeanor. After all, the last the ronin had checked, getting hit by missiles, especially ballistic ones, hurt. A LOT.

"Don't sweat it K'," Ace assured the Ronin, a smug look on his face "At ten feet off the turf with my ECM blaring in their faces EVERYTHING'S a target to those radar guided missiles. Their proximity fusses will detonate WAY before they even get NEAR us." He smirked "And the explosions' heat will take care of any heat-seekers that were fired too!"

Sure enough, the area thirty feet behind the C-130 became a fiery mess of shrapnel, the radar guided variety detonating prematurely as their heat-seeking brethren locked onto the explosion and promptly collided with one another in a blaze worth of a Spielberg movie.

"Hope you didn't pay to much for those missiles Dark Bird!" Ace teased the female mercenary captain over the radio, prompting a hail of Gatling gun bullets that liquidated the right wing engine. "You guys had better Ghost." He ordered, all jkidding gone from his expression as he focused on flying his ailing craft "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Stripe looked ready to argue, only for Gina to assure him that the pilot knew what he was doing, Keitaro strapping himself into the backseat beside the Kryn prince after patting the pilot farewell on the shoulder,getting the last buckle in place not a moment too soon, as the Gina Mobile dropped the remaining ten feet to the floor without even bending a fender. "What's that whistling sound?" Gina wondered, only for Stripe to alert them to the threat of falling bombs, Keitaro sticking his head between his legs seconds before Gina shifted into second, tearing of into the desert at 380 MPH, just as Ace unleashed his 'secret Weapon'.

"I gotta get me one of those." The Ronin muttered, as Ace praised Gina on her holographic projector's effectiveness, the mercs that had been trailing the carrier flying off with their tails between their legs, Ace somehow managing to pull a barell roll with his stricken craft to mock them.

"Stick around and maybe I'll make you one." Gina offered, a familiar glint in her eyes as she winked at the Ronin seductively "Though it'll cost ya handsome."

You didn't need to be a genius to understand the 'payment' Gina had in mind, at least Keitaro didn't. Thankfully Cheetah chose that moment to start speaking to her sibling again, demanding that Gina find the nearest, cleanest restroom before her bladder burst.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Are you SURE we have to go in there?" Keitaro muttered, eyeing the massive pillar of ethereal energy with justified concern. It looked like a yellow version of the life stream to the ronin, and everyone knew how well falling into THAT had gone for the persons involved.

"Looks like it reaches all the way to the stratosphere." Cheetah opined, following after her sister with Stripe and Keitaro bringing up the rear, the former dragging the latter behind him with a gentle, but firm grip on his sleeve. The group blinked as they stepped through the light and into a sudden darkness that fell over them like a shroud, the sound of woods at night all around them as Gina muttered something about dropping her flashlight.

Keitaro, who'd been eyeing the dark woods around them warily, flinched as he felt something wrap around a part of his anatomy he felt rather attached to, blushing scarlet as he felt the fingers fondle it exploringly. "Gina? That's ME." The embarrassed Ronin whispered, hoping that Cheetah didn't hear as Gina let out a shocked squeak.

"CHEETAH!" Stripe yelped, startling the duo out of their thoughts, his voice laced with mortification and shock, as it seemed the younger Diggers sibling wasn't all that different from the elder after all "Your hands are cold!"

"Sorry muffin!" Cheetah offered, though Keitaro could FEEL the guilt-free grin in her voice, not to mention the glint of her pearly whites hovering in the darkness like the cheshire cat's disembodied smile "Can't see a thing, thought it was the flashlight."

"Don't let her fool you, boys." Gina countered, the blonde nudging Keitaro in the elbow as she grinned in the general direction she'd heard her sibling's voice "Were-folk can see in the infrared spectrum!"

Cheetah growled and there was a blinding flash of light as the flashlight activated, the lycanthrope handing the tool back to her smug sibling with a mutter of 'it was by your foot' before stomping off to stand beside Stripe, Gina scoffing and pulling out her tricorder as she tried to pick up traces of the Hindrium element they needed.

Something snapped in the darkness, causing Keitaro to freeze up as a sudden chill ran up his spine. Something out there was watching them with an intensity that rivaled the patented Haruka-death glare, something that had terrified him as a child the one time he'd walked in on her suffering a hangover. Beside him, Cheetah looked in worse state, her fur standing on end, amking her look two sizes bigger than normal, actually trembling in fright as she tried to convince Gina to leave as she trembled in fear, only for Gina to refute the idea, passing the noise the Lycan had heard off as an owl or some other woodland critter.

It was at that moment that the werewolves broke from the shadows and attacked.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And I think I'll just leave off there for now.

Halibel: Evil.

Kyugan: Aren't I?

I am the soul of my words...Text is my body, and fiction is my blood...I have written over a thousand words...unbound by death...nor tied to life...Have endured great flames to write many fics, but still these hands have never held anything...so I pray...I pray for UNLIMITED REVIEWS!

Archer: Oh you did NOT just-!

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

And so the madness continues.

To Grave Wolf: Keitaro becoming a werecheetah was one of my initial concept sketches for this series, but I pushed it aside as it would've made this fic too close to ice-tea-1983's 'The Black Paw'. Besides, Lycanthropes, in this fic, cannot become stand users, as they're pretty much invulnerable as is. Stand users that develop Lycanthropy however...

To Nanya: You pretty much hit the nail on the head, at least where Naru is concerned. Luckily, Hina will be employing a little something called a Shock collar to keep the more violent girls in check. Shock collars designed for the dinosaurs at Jurrassic park that is...heheh...

To Nysk: Don't worry...Granny's letting them stew for a bit. After all, she can torture them anytime she wants, right now she needs to find her sacrifi-GRANDSON, before he gets hurt.

To HolyKnight5: Perhaps he will...though he'd probably take more closely after Doc Diggers than Seance. As Star Platinum or not, Keitaro ain't a fighter.

Halibel: Procrastinator...

Kyugan: No Ichigo plushy for you!

Halibel:...TT^TT...

Dedicated To sketchfan: Keep on trucking bro, first fics are always the hardest ones to get out.

* * *

Chapter 7.

Keitaro swore as the two lycanthropes launched themselves from the shadows, almost wetting himself at the sight of the male, who was a virtual wall of muscle and fur, dressed in a simple loincloth and cape. The female wore a tattered looking shirt top and loincloth that did little to hide her ample figure. Though smaller than the male it was clear who was giving the orders as she yelled at him to keep them away whilst she tackled Cheetah, driving her headfirst into a tree.

"Why do you attack us?!" Stripe called out, standing his ground as the male advanced like a sentinel. The Kryn Prince had no delusions of beating him in a test of strength, seeing how easily the female had taken down Cheetah, but was damned if he was letting him near Keitaro and Gina.

"Only the were-cheetah man cat." Was the response, "You and the humans may live if you…" he trailed off, nostrils twitching as he rounded on Keitaro in confusion "Wait a minute…this smell…" a dangerous smirk crossed his features as he locked onto Keitaro, who eyed him in terror "It seems I may yet have some fun after-eh? AAARGH!"

Keitaro blinked as Gina stood over the agonized form of the werewolf, having just unleashed a burst of photoelectric death right into his armpit, wincing at the smell of burnt fur as the beast slumped against a tree. 'THAT had to hurt' he reasoned, wincing as his ears detected a cry of pain he identified as Cheetah's. 'DAMMIT!' the ronin hissed 'We're seriously out gunned here!'

"That should make him a little less dangerous." Stripe reasoned, standing over the howling lycanthrope, the brute rolling around clutching his armpit, though the Kryn's attention was turned towards Cheetah's cry.

"Less dangerous?!" Gina repeated in amazement, gaping down atthe fallen wolf in disbelief, her hand-cannon still smoking from the discharge "That blast should've liquefied him! What does it take to stop this guy?!"

A snarl from the woods drew their attention, Stripe calling out for Cheetah, even as the male got to his feet. "We have to help her!" the Kryn prince stated, wincing as he dodged a blow from the male, only to blink as something blurred past him ramming into the werewolf and sending him flying.

"Wha…what?" Gina began, eyes widening in confusion, as the lycanthrope was sent head over asshole "What just…Keitaro?"

The duo stared in disbelief at the Ronin as he stood next to Stripe, looking a little amazed with himself, his spirit having sent the werewolf flying backwards with a high-speed kick to the chest that could've downed a hummer.

'So it's strong too…' Keitaro noted, watching as the spirit returned to his side, fists at the ready 'Not to mention FAST, I couldn't see it move!' he shivered as he heard a low rumble from the general direction the brute had gone "Stripe-san, could you go check on Cheetah-san?" he asked, looking to the Kryn Prince for emphasis "We'll be fine here, this way it's two on one."

Stripe blinked, confused at the Ronin's feat of strength, before nodding in understanding and dashing off into the brush to aid Cheetah, leaving the two alone with the male. "Keitaro…" Gina wondered, looking at the man in confusion as she sidled up next to him, her pun pointed at the ground "What…how did you…?"

"Some sort of spirit bound itself to me." Keitaro explained, using it to crush a tree branch, leaving the imprint of fingers in the bark to demonstrate "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier." Keitaro offered, noticing the look of confusion on Gina's face, "I only found out in Shangri-La and…well…" He trailed off as the male let loose a deep chuckle, rubbing his jaw and chest from the blows.

"So…it seems there's some fight in you after all boy." The lupine muscleman stated, growling in approval as he padded towards them, wounds already healing "Now it'll be all the more satisfying when I rip your hide off."

"What is your beef with us anyway?!" Keitaro swore, recalling Cheetah's tale from when she'd been rescued "So you and Cheetah's clan were at war! That ended years ago! Cheetah wants nothing to do with you!"

"Regardless of what SHE wants." The male countered, fangs clenched "All were-cheetah's are our enemies!" he snarled and lunged forwards "PREPARE YOURSELF!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheetah swore as the female werewolf proceeded to pound her head into the dirt, wishing she could get an arm free to ram her elbow into the bitch's face, and it didn't help that the werewolf was taunting her with every blow. She blinked as the werewolf let out a startled yip, letting go of her head to grip her own, only to go tumbling off as a decent sized rock shattered against her skull.

"Cheetah!" Stripe called out, helping the were-cat to her feet as the werewolf held her head and growled, looking more annoyed than hurt if the anger in her eyes was any tell "Are you alright?"

"Battered but fine." Cheetah ground out, glaring at the werewolf, angry with herself at how easily the mutt had thrown her around, before turning to stripe in concern "What about Gina and Keitaro! You didn't leave them alone did you?!"

"Trust me." Stripe assured her, as he leapt aside to avoid a lupine haymaker, "Keitaro's got things covered!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I am so DEAD!" Keitaro yelped as he leapt over the hulking werewolf, Gina held in his arms bridal style as he put every ounce of his 'mad retreating skillz' to good use. He felt a bizarre rush run through his body, the spirit seemingly guiding his actions as he moved, muscles moving on instinct as he placed each foot with the precision of a machine, his body twisting and turning in such a way that the lupine threat's blows sailed past them harmlessly.

"You're good boy!" The hulking mass of lupine muscle commended, actually sounding impressed, "But your only human, I don't know how you got off that blow before but with my guard up you won't be so fortunate a second time! Sooner or later you'll make a mistake, and then I'll have you!"

"Then you won't mind if I keep running!" Keitaro shot back, leaping over his head again, using it as a springboard as he launched himself into the canopy, leaving the cursing lupine behind as he took shelter in a cluster of branches.

"Keitaro?" Gina whispered, drawing the ronin's attention to the woman he was holding in his arms, who was frowning up at him, though without any real anger "When were you planning on telling us about this…spirit thing? She asked, earning a wince from the Ronin.

"I didn't want you to worry," he stated, keeping an ear out for their opponent, who was sniffing around for them. Fortunately they were downwind, so they'd hear the brute coming before he could catch their scent "But your dad told me to do it soon."

"Dad knows?" Gina stammered, before blinking and shaking her head "Mind reader, right." She muttered with a chuckle, before shaking herself and looking him and the spirit over with new interest "So, how's it feel?"

"In all honesty? Kinda cool." Keitaro admitted, looking up at the spirit as it kept an eye out, eyes narrowed as it scanned the surroundings like a hawk, broadcasting what it saw to Keitaro's brain directly, like a second set of eyes "I feel stronger, faster, and more sure footed than before." He grinned at her, "Kinda reminds me of when Grandma tried to teach me the family style."

"Martial arts?" Gina queried in amazement, looking the Ronin over with honest surprise in her baby-blues, noting his undeveloped, but still pretty healthy form "You don't look the type." she stated flatly.

"I wasn't." Keitaro admitted with a weak chuckle, frowning slightly at old memories as they came rushing in for attention "Or at least…I couldn't focus you know? The promise and all kept getting in the way."

"So how about now?" Gina asked, feeling concerned, knowing that Keitaro's promise with his 'Promise Girl' had been a pretty important factor in his life "You still worried about it?"

Keitaro was silent for a while, before chuckling and looking up at her in amusement, "You know, with everything that's happened since we met I'd forgotten all about it." He admitted, earning a blush from the woman in his arms "Guess that's what happens when you're having fun."

"Then don't let ME spoil it." A mocking growl announced, the duo yelping in alarm as the werewolf dropped at them from above "These woods are my home boy! You think you can hide from me here?"

Keitaro merely tightened his grip on Gina and dashed off the trunk, the spirit's hands lashing out to grab branches as they passed, swinging the duo from tree to tree, unaware of Gina's flush as she was pressed into his torso. The werewolf leapt out in front of them, hand gripping a branch as he swung at them with a kick, Keitaro turning in time to take the brunt of it with his upper arm with a howl of pain as they were slammed back to earth. "You got a plan Gina?" he asked, as the werewolf advanced on them like a fur-covered terminator "Cause I'm running outta gas here…"

"Try to get behind him again!" Gina insisted in a sharp whisper, readying her gun behind his back where the wolf couldn't see it. Keitaro nodded, gritting his teeth as his arm popped as it healed, splitting from the genius and rolling under the startled lycan's legs, drawing his attention away long enough for Gina to take aim.

Not that it was necessary; the brute's back was the equivalent of a barnyard wall of tightly packed muscles.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheetah grinned as she delivered a high-speed blow to the female werewolf's jaw, Stripe grabbing her around the waist and hurling her into a tree trunk. The two had been playing a high-speed game of 'keep away' with their lupine opponent, catching her of guard and not giving her a chance to get her bearings, Cheetah making good use of her speed whilst Stripe used his agility to keep as far from the bitch's clutches as possible. This resulted in a rather frustrated female werewolf who was beginning to look a little unsure of herself.

Just as she looked ready to lunge into the fray her head shot up at her mate's sound of distress, which followed after an almighty explosion that the other two normally associated with one of Gina's portable death machines. With a last glare at Cheetah, the werewolf dashed off into the brush.

"C'mon!" Cheetah urged, following after her, "We've got her on the ropes! If she teams up with that bruiser from before we'll never beat 'em!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keitaro ducked and weaved under the male's swings; Gina's second blast had temporarily blinded him, meaning his meager recollection of his training was getting some good use. He dimly caught Gina's warning in time to leap out of the path of a slash to the jugular as the female from before entered the scene.

"Thabian!" the female werewolf called out, looking over at the male in concern, before glowering at the Ronin "You've done well to last so long against my Husband boy, but the games end here!"

Keitaro yelped and backed away as the smaller, FASTER lycanthrope leapt overhead. It seemed that while the Male was the powerhouse, this one was more of a tactician, as she used the surrounding woodland to ricochet back at him from behind with a kick that would've taken his head from his shoulders had his spirit not rose to the challenge. "WHAT THE HELL?!" the female yelped, recoiling back from having her kick blocked by the spirit's arm eyeing the Ronin in shock "Thabian! Did you see-?!"

"An arm." The male agreed, glaring dazedly at the Ronin as he grabbed Gina by the shorts and disarmed her, crushing the gun with one hand. "An arm came out of his back, it seems this one has a few tricks up his sleeve."

"HEY!" Gina yelled, thrashing in his grip like a petulant kitten, pointing at the ruins of her gun "that pistol cost me a fortune! I'll sue!" She trailed off as his words finally registered "Wait…you can see the spirit?"

"Quite clearly." The larger werewolf muttered, watching as his mate circled the Ronin warily, only for the Were-cheetah to burst out of the woodwork like a damn bullet train. He tossed the human aside, idly noting that the man-cat had caught her, before disappearing into the shadows with the ease of long practice.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheetah grinned as she realized how effective her hit-and-run tactics were, vowing to spruce up on a few things in case they encountered more of the lupine bastards, only to choke as she was effectively clotheslined by the male, collapsing to her knees as she tried to clear her throat. "Let's see how fast you are with a broken spine." The male growled, grabbing her arm, only for his mate to demand he restrain her.

"Okay kibble-breath." Cheetah growled as she struggled in the males grip, scowling at the smug features of her previous opponent as she drew closer "Tell cuddles to let me go so we can finish our fight! C'mon! Just you and me!"

"I am SO tempted to take you up on that just so I can stomp on you some more," the female admitted, a smug look on her face "But the fun is over, and so is you LIFE!" she leant forward, "but before I send you to the big litter-box in the sky I thought you might like to know what's going to happen to your friends." She smiled at the male restraining Cheetah "Thabian and I have kids arriving soon, so we'll probably need a nanny…so I'll infect your human friend with lycanthropy and she'll become a decent, helpful, obedient werewolf under me." She smirked "Dinner times such a mess with more than two babies and no help, I would've LOVED to have you as a slave, but lycanthropy doesn't affect were-folk."

Cheetah was about to make a quip about having 'had shots for that' when the Male Let out a yelp of pain as something barreled into his side with enough force to release Cheetah, sending her stumbling into the Female. "Cheetah-san! Run!" Keitaro yelled, standing not to far from where he'd snuck up on the male, his spirit still out from having sucker punched the brute.

"K-KEITARO?!" Cheetah gaped, eyeing the Ronin in alarm "How did you…when did you…WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?!"

Keitaro would have replied but at that moment the Male lunged at him from the woods, causing the Ronin to beat a hasty retreat, his spirit deflecting most of the blows, though a couple of scratches appeared on his arms nonetheless. In his haste to retreat he tripped over a tree trunk, his head cracking loudly against the forest floor as the Male loomed over him for the final blow.

The sound of a revolver firing echoed through the air, followed closely by a silvery projectile clipping the side of the female's leg, a small flame bursting to life as she fell howling to the ground.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keitaro moaned as he opened his eyes, wondering if he was going to like what he was about to see right up until Stripe's concerned features swam into view. "You okay?" the lord of El Dorado asked, helping the Ronin-turned-lycanthrope to his feet.

"I feel like something the Dog dragged in." Keitaro joked, wincing at the pounding of his head even as Stripe shook his own at the pun. "Where'd the wolves go?" the ronin asked, looking around blearily "Last thing I remember was a gunshot..."

"Gina drove them off with silver bullets." Stripe revealed, a sudden chill rushing over the Ronin at the mention of the deadly, lycanthrope slaying metal in the hands of Gina and her notoriously bad aim "Relax," Stripe assured him, reading his expression and holding up the twenty-two "Cheetah said it'd be better if I held onto this."

Keitaro couldn't have agreed more, sure Gina was a great girl and a good friend but the memory of being caught in the wake of her Tachyon beam still scared the bejeezus out of him. Immortality or no, he didn't feel like tempting fate by being shot by anything she had on hand again.

"Anyways, you're not going to believe this." The Kryn continued, leading him towards a clearing, tricorder in hand "but it seems like we struck the proverbial mother-load," he held out the machine, which beeped loudly in reaction "this whole area is full of Hindrium."

"So we can stock up and get out of here?" Keitaro asked eagerly, wincing as he shifted his shoulders, the joints of his back popping in several places "No offence but I don't care much for the neighbors."

"I agree." Stripe seconded with a nod, "But Gina reckons they were merely protecting the area from threats, they haven't bothered us since we began looking for Hindrium." He blinked and held the tricorder out "I think we got it, these plants are brimming with the stuff!"

"Cool," Keitaro noted, grabbing a decent handful as Stripe did the same with a grin "Now lets get outta here before Fido and Lassie decided to come back for round two."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the shadows, Jetta had to be restrained by her husband to keep her from ripping the Ronin's throat out for his comment. The duo watching as the males returned with the plants in hand, vowing to only step in if they tried to enter the hidden garden.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keitaro blinked as he noticed Gina mumbling to herself with a pout, chin trembling and looking absolutely miserable. Clearing his throat he grinned and walked up to the blonde, holding up the flowers he'd gathered "Gina-san! Stripe says these plants are-!"

"EEEE!" Gina squealed, leaping onto the startled Ronin and latching on like a deranged hormonal limpet "A bouquet? For me?! You shouldn't have!"

Keitaro, still harboring an innate fear of being touched by females from his time at Hinata-Sou, was about to call out for help when he realized Stripe was in a similar, if not more painful, position, Cheetah having latched onto the Kryn prince, whose eyes were bulging out of their sockets as he was lovingly crushed into her bosom whilst trying to support her weight. 'At least Gina-san's normal.' Was the Ronin's sole consolation as he fought down the blush that was rising as said explorer nuzzled his cheek...whilst copping a feel of his OTHER cheeks.

"COME ON GINA! PICK UP THE RECEIVER!" Penny's voice snapped out over the communicator attached to Gina's pack, startling the blonde as she squirmed atop the flushing ronin to answer it "I hope you've got this 'master plan' together by now, because the situation here is going right through the roof-" An explosion was heard in the background "LITERALY!"

"Don't get your bikini in a bunch penny!" Gina snapped, getting off the relieved Ronin and placing a good bundle of flowers into her backpack along with Stripe's crown and the Gem of Returning "My backpack should keep everything together," she noted with a frown "I just hopes it survives! Computer: Light gate transport to Armageddon…one backpack and contents…parcel post!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gyphon cackled insanely as his automaton rained death and destruction down on the infidels that had dared oppose him. Him! The true master of Atlantis and future ruler of the surface! So consumed was he in his revelry that he failed to noticed the burst of light as a portal opened, the backpack falling towards the power source, it's contents reacting together.

"HAHAHAHA!!!!! YOU'RE DOOMED!" he cackled once more, "DOOMED I TELLS YA! BWAHAHAHAHAHA-" he blinked as he caught sight of the backpack "uh-oh."

BOOM

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vimes staggered against the wall as he tried to keep his footing, managing to remain mostly upright. His subordinates weren't so lucky, the massive sergeant haven fallen on the corporal whilst the fat sergeant had managed to grab hold of the water cooler for balance, pulling the whole thing down and spilling water all over the place. "What the devil was THAT?!" Vimes demanded, looking round to see the captain help the female sergeant to her feet, the scruffy officer standing in the doorway, latched onto it with a death grip, whilst the orangutan held onto the ceiling fan for dear life "An earthquake?!"

"Unlikely sir!" the captain countered, pulling off a salute as soon as the female sergeant was standing on her own two feet "We've been monitoring the fault lines and there's been no activity!"

"Came from der sea sir!" the massive sergeant announced as he got off the squashed corporal, holding up his radio for confirmation "Massive wave hit der shores, every-tin getting mixed up sir!"

"A tidal wave?" Vimes repeated, "You're telling me that was because of a bloody TIDAL WAVE?!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"FUCK!" Revy swore as she held onto the railings of the Black Lagoon for dear life, the torpedo boat bucking like a horny bronco on hot coals as the waves lashed around them "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT DUTCH?!"

"You're asking me?" the captain of the Black Lagoon asked, gripping the wheel tightly as he checked for the waves, fortunately no more giants were headed their way. "I'm taking us back to port, it's too dangerous to be out here right now."

"THE SYSTEMS GONE FUBAR AGAIN!" Benny swore from below, sounding highly distressed over the sound of dieing electronics and the occasional sparking explosion "DUTCH, MY BABIES ARE ALL FUCKED UP!"

"Get counseling then." Dutch joked, earning a snort from Revy, who blinked as she realized something was missing, namely a certain white-collar employee turned pirate that had been standing on deck with her.

"FUCK! ROCK FELL OVERBOARD!" she yelled, diving into the ocean as the former salary man floated past, face down in the water.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So that's it?" Keitaro asked, looking around as the group prepared to light gate back to Atlantis before Penny could swipe Gina's share of the loot, uh, REWARD from Princess Tyr "It's all over?"

"God I hope so." Cheetah muttered, arms behind her head as she waited for the portal to stabalise enough for them to walk into "That Gyphon bastard was one sick piece of work, like a cockroach that wouldn't die."

"So that's it then?" Keitaro repeated, looking oddly concerned "The adventure's over?"

Keitaro didn't know quite how to explain it. On the one hand he was glad the crisis had been averted, Gyphon was gone, Atlantis and El Dorado had been saved and were now allies and none of his new friends had gotten hurt. But was that it? Did this mean he had to go back to the dorms? Back to the abuse? The lack of respect? Back to living day in and day out fearing that his immortality would run out and the next blow would finish him?"

Gina noticed the look on the Ronin's face and smiled, wrapping her arm around his as she grinned. "Hey Keitaro, studying abroad is a pretty good thing to have on your resume, y'know." She stated, smirking as he blinked in confusion, "And besides, getting a little experience under your belt will make getting into a university back home a cakewalk in comparison."

Keitaro blinked, before breaking into a grateful smile as he walked arm in arm with her through the light gate.

"Poor kid doesn't know what he's in for." Cheetah muttered, clutching Stripe to her side possessively "I know that look, Gina's gonna have him tied to the bed before he knows what's happening."

"Should we warn him?" Stripe asked, concern for his new friend not quite overpowering his blush at being held so close to Cheetah's, uh, assets. Kryn Prince or no he was only a man, and even gay men couldn't miss THOSE puppies.

"What, and spoil the fun?" Cheetah countered, looking affronted, before grinning, "It'll be much more amusing to…'accidentally' barge in on them."

Stripe couldn't help but say a silent prayer for his friend as the two followed Gina and Keitaro into the light.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thabian sighed, arms crossed as he watched the portal shut behind the intruders, taking the were-cat and her comrades away. "I thought they'd never leave!" he muttered, shaking his head in annoyance.

"Husband?" Jetta asked, looking at him with her hands on her hips as he turned to face her. "How come you never pick ME any flowers?"

Thabian suddenly wished that the intruders would return, anything would have been better than being put on the spot like this.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Aoyama Tsuruko?"

"Yes?" the beautiful former heir of the Shinmeiryuu greeted, smiling as she turned to address the men in black suits lined up behind her. Some of them were looking decidedly nervous, the leader, being the closest was visibly sweating.

"We are representatives of the Japanese government," the leader announced, his face professional, even with the beads of sweat slipping down his cheek "More specifically the Hinata city branch."

"Oh? What a coincidence! I was about to head there myself!" tsuruko admitted pleasantly, holding a hand to her face as she sighed, "That last earthquake had me worried about my Imouto."

"Your sister is currently under arrest for suspected involvement in the disappearance of one Urashima Keitaro." The leader spoke up, holding out a folder to the woman, which she accepted with a raised eyebrow, "We would ask that you accompany us."

Tsuruko flipped through the file, Shippu eyeing the men beadily as she did so, before snapping it shut and smiling genially at them. "Very well, lead the way please."

The men visibly relaxed and moved aside to escort her to the waiting cars. After all, you didn't just DEMAND that the strongest warrior of the Kanto region come with you, even if she HAD retired she was still the former heir to the most prominent school of demon-slayers in all of Japan.

That bird of hers was giving them some nasty looks too.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aoyama Motoko jolted awake, taking in her surroundings for perhaps the first time in several days, a cold sweat running down her neck as she eyed the surroundings warily.

"You okay Motoko?" Kitsune called out, Naru muttering incoherently in a corner, an aura of DOOM hovering over her that was making the already cramped cell all the more so "You look like someone just stepped on your grave."

"I had a premonition." The kendo-ka admitted, shivering slightly as the chill ran down her spine at the memory, unable to place the feeling at the moment "Something very bad is going to happen soon."

"Any chance of getting us out of here?" Kitsune asked, holding up her shackles hopefully, though it was with a sarcastic snort, as the Kendo-ka couldn't even flex a finger in that suit of hers "I never was one for bangles and these just don't suit me at all."

"Were I not confined by this damnable straight-jacket I would have freed us all." Motoko replied, growling as she struggled, "It seems to react to ki, every time I try to summon enough to burst free it tightens, cutting off my concentration."

"Same for Naru." Kitsune muttered, nodding over to the redhead's angst-corner "She keeps trying to bust loose, only for the things to send a shock through her body." She winced as the fireworks started up again, the smell of ozone filling the air as Naru shrieked and convulsed in her restraints, hair standing on end as she collapsed in a smoking heap. "And I don't suggest picking the locks either." Kitsune muttered, holding up her shackles for the stunned samurai to see "No keyholes."

"Truly an ingenious set-up." Motoko admitted grudgingly, scowling around her a she got to her knees, a little unsteady due to her lack of arms to aid her "But we shall not be detained here for long."

"You sound sure." Kitsune noted, eyeing the smug look on the younger woman's face with some concern, and with good reason. The last time Motoko had looked so smug was when she'd lost to Keitaro and Tama-Chan at the onsen.

"My sister will question my disappearance and come looking for me." Motoko replied, not without a trace of fear at the mention of the woman, but confident nonetheless "Urashima and his cohorts wont stand a chance against her!"

'Maybe I should look into getting a separate cell?' Kitsune muttered, as the kendo-ka began to cackle in glee at their 'impending freedom'.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tsuruko sneezed, Shippu resettling himself on her shoulder with a soft 'coo' as she apologized. "Not at all," Granny-Hina assured the former shihan, "and may I thank you for agreeing to come so quickly? You husband must be worried."

"My husband is quite aware of my capabilities to defend myself." Tsuruko assured the woman, though it was with a slight smile, "Though I am grateful for permitting me to let him know where I am, he can get so protective at times."

"And I really don't feel like replacing any walls." Haruka muttered to herself, though she KNEW the Kyoto beauty heard every single word. The last time Tsuruko's husband had panicked about his beloved's condition, he'd damn near set Kyoto on fire in his zeal to help her.

"Still," Tsuruko noted, acting as if nothing had been said, though Haruka noted a slight qurik to her lips "I am rather disappointed in Motoko's actions, I really didn't think her fear of men would fly so far out of control."

"One cannot predict the foolishness of youth." Hina offered sagely, sipping at her tea in the traditional 'genial old woman' pose that would only be utilized by suspicious old bats who had nothing better to do than make life hell for said youths "I'm as much to blame by allowing it to run rampant while she was under my roof."

"I assure you the problem will be addressed in full." Tsuruko assured her "I am, however concerned as to the whereabouts of your grandson, will you be requiring the assistance of the Shinmeiryu?"

"Tempting, but no." Hina replied, "You have enough on your plate disciplining your errant sister." She sipped her tea, sighing as she shook her head "I had hoped to avoid this, but sometimes drastic measures are called for, and I cannot place my trust with the mafia."

Haruka frowned as her mother pulled out a black mobile phone, eyes widening as she noticed the symbol painted onto the back in silver paint. "You really think it's necessary to bring HIM into this?" she asked, feeling a shudder run through her body at the thought.

"You trained under him personally." Hina replied, pressing the auto-dial button and listening to the receiver, "You know there's no-one better…ah Diana-Chan, it's Hinata…no I have no intention of taking up command again you're doing splendidly…Yes I AM aware of the incident with the Franchise, and I agree, it did go down smoothly. On the subject, I'm sure you know by know who I'm requesting…Very well, I'll send you the details through the proper channels, I'm offering ten times the going rate…make SURE he knows this is a search and retrieval mission…no I'm NOT worried about collateral damage so long as my grandson isn't counted among it."

'God help us.' Haruka prayed, closing her eyes in silent prayer as her grandmother hung up the phone 'Keitaro, wherever you are you better PRAY there aren't innocent bystanders or you're gonna be scarred for life.'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hong Kong; 23:57 hours.

A cell phone rings softly in the darkened room, echoing in the silent penthouse suite of one of the red dragon triad's leaders. The man in question was currently facedown on the carpet, a bottle of wine on the floor as a figure straightens himself from frisking the man for a disk he kept on his person. Flipping the phone out he held it to his ear, blue eyes narrowing as he took in the information.

"…I see…I'm on my way."

He hung up, putting the phone and disk away as he quietly left the penthouse suite, the door locking behind him silently as he made his way to the elevator, the guard having taken a much needed bathroom break between shifts. The generic elevator music had barely caught his attention as he quickly exited the lift on a separate floor to avoid detection, exiting from a different lift before leaving via the front door even as the black limo pulled up out front, the last sight anyone saw of him being the light shining off his bald head, the back of which bore a strange barcode tattoo.

Up in the penthouse, the clock reset at 00:00 hours.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And I think I'll finish up there for now.

The Atlantis ark is over, but KEitaro won't be returning to Hinata-Sou anytime soon I assure you...he needs to master his Stand and get some 'tutoring' from Gina first.

And yes, the other Gold Digger cast members will awaken Stand Abilities...though who gets what I'll leave to your imagination for now!

And yes, the Stands will be from Series 3 through 6.

Halibel: interesting.

R&R or be Ora Ora'd!

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

I must say that the reviews for this work have been most heartening. At first I didn't think I could pull it off, but I was happily corrected.

To LightGuard: I tend to agree, the 'turn main character into a lycanthrope is overused, though ice-tea-1983 pulled it off well by making a whole new species. (Also, what makes you think the people you mentioned won't show up later? 3)

To Nysk: Things are still pretty bad on the Hinata front, for the harem members that is, but I'll deal with them in due time.

To Nanya: True that, if a gargantuan weapon of mindless destruction detonated under water, you'd think the world would notice wouldn't you? (Maybe it should've been named Hurricane Gyphon?)

To HolyKnight5: But of course! We can't have Dr. Diggers not pulling a 'Ghost Rider' every now and again...it'sone of his charms.

To Dragon Man 180: You don'thave to wait long my firend, as a new Stand is set to awake...And I think you'll approve.

To Raimundo: I know, why do they insist on breaking up Stripe and Cheetah? It's like an olympic event in failing and they're all trying their damndest for the gold. Hope this next chapter whets your appetite as muh as the last did.

To Sketch Fan: The BALLZ are definitely rolling now bro...

And so we pick up where we left off, several weeks after the fall of armageddon (I think, the comics weren't much for timeframe certainty, where they?)

* * *

Chapter 8.

Keitaro cursed as he gazed down the ledge at the amassed firepower below. He swore that if he saw another tank roll past he was getting the hell out of here and dragging Gina with him, whether the stubborn blonde genius struggled or not.

The ronin had settled into life with the Diggers family rather well, and the tutoring he was getting from Gina was really making up for his own hackneyed attempts. From what the genius had told him he should have at least passed the entrance exam years ago if he'd kept his thoughts on one subject long enough to write down the answers, something that was becoming all the easier to accomplish as he slowly put the promise girl, and his fear of being assaulted for the slightest percieved wrongdoing, out of his thoughts.

However, there were a few things he could do without, like being strapped to a lab table every other day to see why he was so resilient. Immortal or not there were just some things a person SHOULDN'T be able to walk away from, like an exploding Tachyon engine for one, or accidentally walking into Cheetah's room while she was changing. Then there was Cheetah's insistence he become her sparring partner, wanting to see how she measured up to the spirit that had sent the male werewolf flying twice, since it meant she'd be better prepared if they had to fight other lycanthropes in the future.

As a result the Ronin had developed a severe dislike for American Wrestling, which all things considered was quite understandable.

As it were, Brittany had asked him to fill in for her on this latest archaeological mission of Gina's, claiming that she wanted to spend more time with Stripe. He'd refused at first, wanting nothing more than to curl up with a good textbook, but was hard pressed to keep it up under her continuous assault.

'How the hell a were-cat can pull off 'puppy-dog-eyes' is beyond me.' He muttered to himself, only half listening as Gina noted the sheer amount of collective firepower with some awe, wondering whom the militants were selling them to. Keitaro honestly could've cared less, provided they weren't sold to people who wanted to shoot at HIM.

"They've got everything in the latest destructive hardware," Gina noted with interest, and a little envy, ignorant of the gloom on her reluctant partner's face "T-90's, rocket tanks, patriot missile launchers, X-30 laser cannons and…ah…AACHOO!"

Keitaro swore and had the woman in his arms before the echo of her sneeze had even begun, leaping through the air with a spirit-enhanced leap towards the Gina mobile, even as some of the very missiles they'd been looking at were launched at them. Landing with grace he attributed partially to his own experience, the Ronin threw Gina as politely as possible into the driver's seat of her modified buggy, before clambering in himself and buckling up.

Gina blinked, dazed at the sudden change from lying on sand to sitting on leather, before snapping back to reality as the sound of approaching death caught her attention in the form of tanks, jeeps and battle camels, mortar bullets and projectile slobber hurtling towards them at an alarming pace. The Gina Mobile roared to life and tore through the desert at top speed, leaving the arms dealers choking on sand and dodging camel spit as the duo made their getaway.

"Remind me why I'm here again?" Keitaro asked, flinching as a missile exploded in the distance, sending gouts of sand flying through the air in all directions "And can't this thing go any faster?! Those potshots are getting pretty close!"

"Would you relax Keitaro?" Gina assured him, a confident smirk on her face as she steered through the dunes "My Gina Mobile is the fastest thing in the desert! The only way thing that could catch up is an M80-Turbo tank, which I doubt they'd have lying around."

Keitaro didn't even have to look round to identify the vehicle gaining on them from behind, a small rising of hackles he'd come to identify as his 'Kei-dar' already alerting him to the arrival of the tank Gina had inadvertently summoned "Any ideas on how to ditch these guys?" he asked, sweat dropping as he realized the genius was making engine noises "You know, Cheetah-san would be calling you a nerd right about now."

"Aw c'mon Kei, isn't this exciting?" Gina asked, not taking her eyes of the road ahead as she smiled, her blood pumping with excitement "Don't tell me you'd prefer to be stuck in the library prepping for exams?"

'I WOULD, actually.' Keitaro muttered to himself half heartedly, wincing as a bullet shot off into the distance. The truth of the matter was that he really DID enjoy going with Gina on trips, and it WAS fun visiting all those ancient archaeological sites that time forgot. What he resented was that most of these sites had nasty things inside trying to keep them out, and that as the 'muscle' he was expected to deal with them.

Half a month ago if anyone had told Keitaro that he'd be referred to as the 'muscle' in anything, even as a joke, he'd have laughed in their face until he either passed out or was rendered unconscious courtesy of a blunt instrument to the head. Having come to grips with his situation, and the fact the spirit attached to him seemed to be on HIS side, he was now resigned to the fact that he was Cheetah's stand-in for Gina-sitting, even if he didn't particularly like it.

He dimly caught Gina's order to unbuckle his seatbelt, letting out a startled cry as she pounced on him, knocking them out of the speeding vehicle, which tore off under its own power, the tank following in its wake. "That works I suppose." The ronin noted dazedly, wiping sand out of his face as they waited for the sound of treads and enraged camel to die away, before jumping as his partner goosed him "GINA-SAN!"

"Too slow Kei!" the blonde scientist teased, getting to her feet daintily as she dusted herself off, deliberately drawing attention to her shapely curves beneath her bodysuit "Maybe now you'll keep your guard up like Cheetah says."

"I don't recall her warning me about being GOOSED by my partner." Keitaro muttered half-heartedly, rising to his feet with a grunt, to which Gina raised an eyebrow, her arms crossed under her breasts.

"Why would I wanna goose my baby sister?" She countered, grinning coyly, a knowing glint in her eyes, as she looked the stammering Ronin over teasingly "Or are you trying to get ideas there, Kei?"

Keitaro turned scarlet and got to his feet, dusting the sand out of his clothes as he did so. No matter how many times he saw it, Gina's libido still scared the hell out of him. It was like the 'ON' switch had gotten jammed and no-one had bothered to fix it. Even Kitsune couldn't rattle him this easily unless she caught him off guard.

"We'd better get there before they come back." Gina noted, checking her wristwatch to see how far the Gina-Mobile was "They won't be fooled for long."

Keitaro nodded and turned to face the ruins, not even blinking as Gina clambered onto his back and held on tight as his spirit helped them leap through the air. It was faster and less embarrassing than simply walking, and he wasn't that much stronger than the blonde to begin with.

Though he could do without the giggling as she snuck covert gropes at his backside as they leapt through the air, and the feeling of her breasts pressing into his back wasn't helping much either.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Stupid American She-Dog!" an Iranian tank general mocked as he lifted his head out of the sand alongside his driver "She thinks she can outsmart Akbar, The General of Generals? The 'ditch the car and hop in the sand' trick is older than my Grandmother's camel!"

"What do we do now general?" the driver asked, eyeing the retreating forms with trepidation as they leapt through the night sky like mutant grasshoppers "Gold Digger alone wouldn't be a problem to overcome but that youth with her…"

"What about him?" Akbar scoffed "If it had been the lycanthrope I'd have been mildly concerned, but all this fellow seems capable of doing in leaping through the air like some sort of mutant flea!" He got to his feet with a smirk "Those two must be after a hidden treasure nearby; we'll follow them and relieve them of their gains when they're finished!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You, out." A guard growled, nodding towards Kitsune, ignoring the glares from the other two as the vixen got to her feet warily "You're being transferred, move it."

Shrugging nonchalantly the older girl waved cheekily back at her cellmates, Naru unleashing a plethora of curses at the guard whilst Motoko redoubled her efforts to bust free of their shackles. "Any chance of a room with a view?" Kitsune cracked, wincing as she realized the guard had no sense of humor from the glare he shot her, "Jeez, gimme a break."

"Which leg?" the guard shot back, smirking as the fox paled considerably and shut her trap. He led her to a room that screamed interrogation, from the tray of donuts on the table to the two chairs and apparent wall mirror "Wait here, don't touch the donuts."

Kitsune sighed, sitting down on the chair and putting her feet up as the door shut. She didn't doubt there were people watching but she could've cared less. She'd been stuck in that cell for weeks, only let out to use the bathroom and wash, always under the scrutiny of a female guard. 'Could've been worse.' She noted offhandedly 'Naru and Motoko have to make due with a hose ever since they tried storming the exit.' Her stomach growled and the fox decided to hang the consequences as she reached for a donut, even as the door opened.

"Long time no see Mitsune-chan." Granny Hina greeted from the doorway, smiling at the stunned woman "I've been hearing some interesting things about your behavior since I left."

As she looked into that wrinkled, smiling face, Kitsune swore that if she got out of this alive she'd never touch another donut as long as she lived.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"This is fascinating." Keitaro muttered, eyeing the dusty hieroglyphs carved on the wall before him with the aid of his flashlight "Didn't you say this site was over 9000 years old Gina?"

Gina nodded, tracing the ancient text in awe "But writing wasn't invented in these parts until 3300 B.C!" She traced it carefully as Keitaro kept an eye out for trouble, though what kind of trouble he expected to find in a crypt was speculative. Not of the living kind at the very least, which wasn't exactly good for her peace of mind now she thought of it. 'Hmm…is this it?' she wondered, reaching for a section of wall with questing fingers.'

Keitaro shivered, his 'Kei-dar', as everyone called it, sending a warning shiver up his spine as his spiritual companion lashed out towards Gina, grabbing her hand gently, but firmly, to stop her from pressing the hidden button on the hieroglyphs. Before she could voice a protest the Ronin sidled up to her and ran his hand over the wall where his spirit had espied a smudge covering the hieroglyphs that Gina had missed. The fact it noticed it in pitch darkness was something he chalked up to being a spirit.

"Whoops." The scientist muttered, looking up at her assistant in embarrassment "That could have been bad." She looked around in annoyance "But it looks like there's no way out other than the way we came in."

"What about here?" Keitaro asked, tapping a wall with his knuckle "This one looks a little thinner than the others…not that that's saying much." His spirit loomed behind him, fist drawn back at the ready, lashing out at the wall with every ounce of strength it had in it's muscular arms, only for Keitaro to yelp as every bone in his hand broke, though it did leave a decent sized hole in the wall.

"Aww…I wanted to test my portable hole…" Gina chuckled, watching as the Ronin rolled around on the floor swearing his head off, stuffing the device back into her backpack, "but then your way works too."

Keitaro bit off a curse as his bones immediately began to set, his hand popping as the joints realigned "Is it safe?" he asked, getting to his feet and sticking his head into the hole he'd created, wincing at the sight of the seemingly endless vertical chute "Yikes, we have any rope?"

"No need!" Gina replied, stepping eagerly past the startled ronin, sneaking a pinch on his rump in the process, and jumping daintily over the edge of the chasm with a smile as she disappeared into the depths below.

"GINA-SAN!" Keitaro screamed before leaping down after her, hoping to catch the woman before she hit bottom, only to blink as he overshot, the blonde floating down courtesy of a balloon that emitted from her backpack "What the he-?!" he began, only to be cut off as he belly flopped onto the stone floor below. HARD.

"Keitaro!" Gina called out in alarm, landing daintily and deactivating the balloon, the hight-tech gadget resealing itself in her backpack, before dashing over to the human pancake as he lay in the impression he'd made in the granite floor "Are you alright!?"

"Peachy." The Ronin muttered, getting to his feet with a grunt, even as his bones popped back into place with an audible cracking noise "Like old times really." he admitted, popping his nose back into place with a pop.

"Jinkies! No matter how many times I see it your healing factor amazes me!" Gina exclaimed, honest interest and relief in her eyes as she looked him over nontheless "Even Cheetah couldn't have shrugged that fall off so fast!"

"Cheetah probably wouldn't have crashed like I did either." Keitaro muttered morosely, earning an apologetic look from the genius before shrugging it off "I'll go and check over that way," he muttered, a little sullenly after making a fool of himself "stay put here until I get back."

Gina waited a few seconds, looking out into the darkness with a concerned expression on her face, before sighing, taking a deep breath and screaming at the top of her lungs. Keitaro reappeared in an instant, his spirit at the ready, concern lining his features as he grabbed her by the shoulders, "Gina-san!" he gasped, clearly out of breath from his mad sprint "What is it? Are you oka-MPHRGLE?!"

Gina released the stunned Ronin's lips with a smirk, pushing his stunned jaw back into place coyly as she checked her watch "Hmm, five seconds…you've been practicing." She smirked at the stammering ronin before pushing him gently in the right direction, slapping him on the rump for good measure "Go on I'm fine," she assured him, "but don't stray too far, 'kay?"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'As I live and breath I'll NEVER understand women." Keitaro muttered, still embarrassed about the kiss and the way he'd walked right into it 'Either they're trying to punish me for being a pervert or trying to feel me up…is it a curse?'

He shrugged, putting those thoughts on the backburner as he inched his way up the steps of the winding staircase, nostrils twitching from the dust of centuries past, eyes narrowing as he caught sight of a light at the end, blinking as he stepped into an elaborately decorated room. "What is this place?" he wondered, looking around in confusion, only to shiver as he pushed the silk curtains aside.

"Kei-kun." A hauntingly familiar voice called out, the owner, a woman with long hair trailing down her back, kneeling with her back to him on a giant pillow, like something out of the Arabian nights "You finally found me…"

"Y-you…?" Keitaro stammered, eyes widening as he gaped at the woman's back in shock. It couldn't be possible, he'd long since forgotten all about the promise girl since he started studying with Gina, the dreams that had long since tormented his memory having faded away to nothing. What were the odds that now, just as he was getting his life under control, she would turn up in a tomb in the middle of Iran?

"I knew you'd find me." The echoingly familiar voice noted happily, still not turning to face him, her voice reminding him of summer birds in song, the scent of flowers and honey washing over him like a wave "You promised me after all."

"You're not real." Keitaro stammered, backing away slightly out of terror, wondering if the rest of the Hinata girls were lurking in the wings, ready to drag him kicking and screaming back with them to resume his 'duties' at the inn "You can't be real, you're just a hallucination, a dream."

"What's the matter Kei-kun." The figure asked, still not turning to face him "Aren't you happy to see me?" she held herself, the melodious voice laden with sadness as she looked down at her feet "Even after all this time…I never stopped waiting for you."

Keitaro swallowed, shaking his head as he tried to clear it, only to freeze as a pair of arms embraced him from the front, long wavy hair ruffling against his nose. "You see?" she stated, voice comforting "Can't you feel me? Can't you touch me? I'm as real as you are…my love."

Keitaro said nothing as the figure eased him to the floor, mind reeling as she proceeded to kiss against his neck, stroking his hair with loving fingers. He froze suddenly, his muscles snapping alert, causing her to pause in her ministrations. "Kei-kun?" she asked, placing a hand to his cheek, which he grabbed tightly "AH Kei-kun! Itai-yo!"

"Who are you?" the ronin ground out, eyes serious as he regarded the struggling figure "I made the promise to enter Tokyo-U when I was a child, the promise girl couldn't have recognized me like this unless I saw her every day!" he growled as she hid her head with her hair, reaching down to force it up "Show me your face!"

The figure did so, only for Keitaro to startle as Narusegawa Naru glared up at him, eyes burning with fury "Keitaro no Baka!" the redhead snarled, slapping his wrist away as she advanced on him in a rage "How dare you touch me like that!"

Keitaro backtracked, only to receive a blow to the jaw that sent him soaring into the wall. He blinked, the frown returning as he got to his feet. "You want some more?!" Naru demanded, racing back for another punch that would send him through the wall, only to be knocked off her feet from the backhand Keitaro's spiritual bodyguard delivered to her face.

"Naru's strong," the ronin admitted, eyes deadly serious as he eyed the trembling form before him "But even she isn't fast enough to land a blow faster than this guy." He thumbed over his shoulder at the spirit "Gina tested it back at her lab, he's faster than the speed of light."

"FOUL DEMON!" the figure roared, leaping to her feet in the form of Aoyama Motoko, a sword held in one hand "I shall strike you down at-ARGH!"

A fist rammed into the apparitions face, knocking her to the floor and sending the scimitar she'd grabbed off the wall into the ceiling. Keitaro, with instincts honed from sparring with Stripe and Cheetah, took the rear and dragged the creature to it's feet, holding it's arm behind it's back, Motoko's face twisting in a look of agony as he did so.

"You got the attitude right," he muttered, shuddering in repressed, instinctive terror from the feeling of Motoko's killing intent washing over him "but Motoko would never be seen without her nodachi," he snorted at the scimitar embedded in the wall, before eyeing the silk outfit the apparition sported "let alone in THAT outfit."

"S-senpai…Itai-yo!" Shinobu's voice called out, the simulacra of the blue haired girl pawing at his grip on her arm with watery eyes as he glared down at her coldly, Keitaro almost loosening his grip, before smashing his fist into its face.

"If you don't stop screwing around with my head I'll rip your damn arm off." Keitaro snarled, honest anger filling his being as the simulacra coughed and held it's broken nose "And if you EVER take on Shinobu's form to bait me again you'd better pray someone shows up to stop me!"

"Alright! Alright!" the figure called out, shifting once again into the form of a small, horned figure of indiscernible gender, horns atop its head and robed in a simple burnoose and loincloth that were in surprisingly good condition "I'm sorry! Don't hurt me anymore!"

Keitaro eyed the figure warily, before releasing the arm and stepping back to observe it as it held the limb tenderly "What the heck are you?" he asked "Some sort of demon?"

"How rude!" the creature shot back, looking affronted at the very idea as it leant on a nearby fountain for support, it's wounds slowly healing up "I'm not some crass demon! I'm a Rakshasa, a shape-shifter!"

"Alright," Keitaro replied, holding up his hands apologetically as he backed away, his heart beat calming slightly as he spoke to the shape-shifter "Now what was with the seducing me with people I know bit?"

"I was merely trying to get you to relax so I could feed." The Rakshasa replied, holding up its hands defensively as Keitaro's spirit loomed threateningly over him, cracking it's knuckles in a decidedly ominous manner "Not on you! Not on you! I feed on the ethereal forces that surround you! Only Humans and demi-humans possess it!"

"So basically you wanted to feed off my aura?" Keitaro repeated, blinking slightly in confusion as he processed that piece of info, after all he didn't recall Dr. Digger's notes mentioning anything on THIS "Why didn't you just ask?"

"Because the transfer is extremely ticklish!" the shifter replied tartly "You'd move and draw the ether back into yourself, taking mine with it!" he eyed the spirit warily "Though now that I see you have a Stand, I see feeding off you would prove most difficult."

"Well I suppose I am pretty ticklish." Keitaro admitted, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment, recalling how that particular trait had been used against him to great effect by a certain vixen, only to blink at the Rakshasa's words "Wait…a Stand?"

"That big hulking thing looming behind you." The horned fellow pointed out, eyeing Keitaro's spirit warily as he did so "They were quite rare back in the day, but it made gathering aura from their masters a real pain in the neck."

"So that's what this thing is…" Keitaro muttered, looking over his shoulder at his spiritual bodyguard, who was hovering behind him, vigilant as ever, arms crossed across it's massive chest as it looked down at him "Look, sorry about the arm…" he offered, looking apologetic "do you think you could show me around? I'm pretty lost."

"I'd be glad to." The Rakshasa agreed, standing up with a nervous smile "Your aura reveals you to be a fairly gentle soul, unlike that LAST fellow that wandered in here," it muttered, recalling a certain bandanna-sporting idiot that had passed through without so much as a hello "so I understand it was merely self defense that drove you earlier." it bowed politely "I am Genn by the way."

"Oh so you're a guy?" Keitaro stated, feeling a bit more at ease with that question answered, only to blink as the shifter let out an amused chuckle, good humor shining in its eyes as it shook its head in understanding.

"We Rakshasa can change gender to suit our needs." Genn replied with a smile "I'm in my neutral form at the minute, no gender at all, generally the 'Male' of our species is the one who pays the for the hotel room." He smirked and shifted again, taking on another familiar shape and going into a risqué pose, one hand on her hips, the other behind her head "Sure you wouldn't want a tussle?"

"That's my Aunt." Keitaro deadpanned, though he did hide a guilty nosebleed as Genn smirked at him knowingly. He'd already had enough guilty dreams from childhood concerning his maternal-cousin turned aunt to deal with, why invite more?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gina blinked as the lights around her snapped on, turning to regard the two figures in the doorway, which turned out to be Keitaro and a little horned…thing, in a loincloth. "Gina-san!" the ronin greeted, leading the horned person towards her "This is Genn." Keitaro introduced, nodding towards his guide with a smile "Genn, this is Gina Diggers."

"She is quite beautiful Keitaro!" Genn stated, smiling at the confused blonde appreciatively as he got right in her face "I see you have good taste in women…her eyes are especially delicious, even more so than your memory described!"

Keitaro let out a warning growl, his spirit…his STAND, cracking its knuckles warningly, and the subject was dropped faster than a hot potato. The less time Genn, or anyone for that matter, spent in his head the better in his opinion. Still, he couldn't quite suppress a shiver at the amused looks Gina shot him though. She hadn't missed the Rakshasa's comment despite his prayers to the contrary.

"Oh? So you like my eyes do you?" the scientist asked, fluttering her baby-blues at the understandably nervous Ronin teasingly "you've got a pretty delicious set yourself Kei," she admitted, leaning in close to his face for emphasis "like little pools of hot chocolate…"

"Hey, how'd you get that thing to work?" Genn asked, interrupting the embarassing conversation by pointing at the sphere in the center of the room, a look of confusion on his face "I've been trying to get that historian to work for centuries!"

"I have a knack for getting machines to do what I want Genn," Gina assured the Rakshasa, turning away from a relieved Keitaro with a smirk, before smiling and pressing a button "Hey I know! Historian! Show us anything about the vault in the tomb!"

The starlit basin beneath the sphere changed to reveal a scene where several heavyset slaves in loincloths carried out a vertiable smorgasboard of treasures from the tomb, under the watchful eye of men in Persian armor, the doors slamming shut behind them as the image played out.

"I recognize that area." Genn noted offhandedly, pointing towards the wall helpfully as Gina seethed at being beaten to the loot by two thousand years. Keitaro tried to reassure her, as she DID find a working historian outside Shangri-la after all, and with a little help from Brittany and Ace they could probably lift it back to the lab for reconstruction.

Gina, however, was inconsolable, and only half listened as she allowed him to dial up Brittany at El Dorado. She just KNEW she was in for a ribbing later.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"The great and fabulous Gold Digger!" Brittany cackled, ignoring the glare she was receiving from her sibling as Keitaro, Stripe and Genn fussed over the historian, trying to figure out how to get it back home in one piece. "Spends a fortune on this expedition, only to reveal her true greedy colours when the pot at the end of the rainbow turns out to have nothing but lint in it!"

Gina growled and turned away from the crowing of her adopted sibling. There had been a minor problem with using the teleporter, apparently it didn't work too well underground, but at the very least the Kryn Prince and Cheetah had been decent at the time the call had come through. All it had taken was a quick phone call for Ace to charter a flight and the happy couple were here to lend a hand.

"Yeah, Yeah laugh it up fuzz ball!" the blonde snapped, stamping towards the vault in the slightest hopes that something was still inside, only to glare as light glinted off a single, brass ring on the floor.

"Oh my! I'm breathless!" Cheetah mocked, crouching down next to her embarrassed sibling, thoroughly enjoying herself "One brass Armlet! How shall I spend all these riches?!"

Gina merely glared at her sibling as she reached for the armlet, unaware as Keitaro, who was standing at the far end of the room with Stripe, Genn and Ace, froze in mid-sentence, his hackles rising as his Kei-Dar went off like an air-raid siren at Pearl Harbor. Spinning round with his Stand at the ready, the Ronin could only gape in wonder as a surge of negative emotions burst into the room, wrapping around the startled sisters before dissipating.

"Why does something tell me that wasn't a good thing?" Ace asked, watching the sisters pick themselves warily, just before the teleporter started spraying sparks all over the place, dying with a mechanical whine even as the tunnel he'd come down in collapsed "Dammit."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I am very disappointed in you Mitsune-chan." Granny Hinata sighed, sitting across from the girl, an annoyed Haruka and a SEETHING Kanako glaring at the resident fox at her sides. They needn't have bothered trying to intimidate the girl; the look in the Urashima matriarch's eyes was more than enough to send an army of rabid berserkers crying for their mothers.

"I had assumed, as the elder of the group, you would have provided some support for my grandson." Granny continued, tapping out a cigar into an ashtray, the smell of good leaves filling the air "A shoulder to cry on if you would, in fact, I had high hopes that if anyone could have snapped the boy's head out of his 'promised girl' lark, it would've been either you or Naru."

She exhaled a ring of smoke, which slowly morphed into a leering skull as Kitsune watched it with wide, terrified eyes. "Instead I come back to find not only has my beloved Grandson been manhandled, pardon the pun, by a group of girls I took in out of the goodness of my heart," she shot Kanako a glare for her snort "but that he has apparently disappeared as a result of it."

"That wasn't my fault!" Kitsune insisted, daring to speak out and instantly regretted it as a pen flew from Kanako's fingers with the accuracy of a dart and imbedded itself in the concrete wall behind her.

"Kanako-chan…" Hinata muttered, the Lolita scowling in defiance but lowering her hands to her sides once again "I understand that you can hardly be held responsible for the actions of the others, Mitsune-chan." She frowned "However…your own actions hardly paint you in a good light either."

She stood up, walking over to the trembling fox and getting right up into her face, her usually closed eyes like lasers as they drilled into Kitsune's own.

"Now…are you going to do what I tell you…" he asked, cupping the terrified girl's cheek with her wrinkled palm "or shall I tell Kanako-chan it's fox season?"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Needless to say, after the teleporter burnt out, leaving Brittany, Stripe and Ace pretty much stranded with the rest of them, the trip back to the surface hadn't gone so smoothly.

First there'd been the fact that the tunnels the others had used to get to the chamber had apparently shifted around, meaning they couldn't use the same way to get back. Then there were the awkward, arousing dreams, which Genn felt the need to commentate on, not being used to social graces after centuries of solitude. Gina snuggling up to Keitaro in her sleep hadn't helped either.

The girl was like a limpet sometimes, albeit a hormonal, decidedly attractive one that liked to snuggle up to unsuspecting ronin to feel them up.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Mornin' lover…" Gina greeted, smirking as Keitaro tried to scale the wall behind him in his panic-driven drive to put some distance between them "My you're energetic…too bad we don't put it to use."

"I really wish you wouldn't do that to me, Gina-san…" the former Kanrinin muttered, a little more used to his friend's hormonal actions after so long in her company. At the very least he'd stopped flinching instinctively every time she got a little too close.

On the other side, behind a rather shoddy partition, Stripe was feebly trying to escape Brittany's clutches, the were-cheetah having wrapped herself around him like a second pelt. He reached pitiably towards Keitaro, making the infamous kitty-eyes whilst mouthing 'help me…!', even as Brittany squashed his cheek into her ample bosom, a fate many a man would've weeped for in the past.

Shooting a look at Gina, who merely smiled a 'better you than me, lover' look, the bespectacled Ronin sighed, shooting Ace, who was pretending to be asleep a heated glare, before marching over to the Kryn Prince's aid, reaching out tentatively to shake Cheetah by the shoulder. "Cheetah-san…" he called out, earning a few grunts from the lycan, prompting him to shake harder "It's time to ge-PRRGH!!!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By the time Keitaro had pulled his head out of the wall Brittany was up, about, and looking a bit sheepish for her reaction. But that was soon put behind her as they battled their way out of the underground labyrinth of tunnels that littered the ruins, chased by a demon of unparalleled destructive power that Cheetah made the mistake of trying to snack on.

Though why said demon took the form of a common tunnel mouse Keitaro couldn't fathom.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You and your big stomach!" Gina snapped, sliding out of range of one of the satanic-vermin's fireballs, a sentiment shared wholeheartedly by Keitaro, but the Ronin was too busy running for his life, wishing fervently that Motoko, or better yet, Tsuruko were here. Not only was the older Aoyama sister a far better exterminator of the demonic & arcane, she was a lot easier on the eyes too in his opinion, marriage be damned.

"It's chasing us!" Genn yelled out from the flank, the Rakshasa actually paling in terror as the furry dreadnought's roars echoed through the tunnels behind them, like the minotaur hunting down it's prey "We must go faster!"

"Up the stairs!" Keitaro yelled, already halfway up them himself, only to shriek as they gave way under him, arms waving hysterically as he plummeted into the chasm below, stopping about mid-way as a suction cup connected with his butt cheek.

"Sorry 'bout that, Kei." Brittany offered, pulling on the rope to reel the floundering Ronin in like the catch of the day, depositing him on solid ground with a grunt "Stupid thing gave way soon as I stepped on it."

"Think it's the curse?" Ace wondered, not liking the looks of things thus far as their pursuer's roars got louder. If he were in a fighter jet he was confident he could take the rodent mutha any time anywhere, but on the ground he was next to useless. Sure he was a better shot than Gina, but that wasn't saying much if you thought about it.

"Think we can jump it?" Stripe asked, looking between their current position and the ledge across the chasm, where the exit lay, almost mocking them. It almost looked like there was a glowing 'EXIT' signing hovering over it from a certain angle.

"No way in hell." Cheetah muttered, looking over her shoulder warily "Even I couldn't jump that far, even with a running start." she shivered "And with Might Mouse's evil cousin on our ass I wouldn't have time to get everyone across."

"And My Gina-line's busted!" Gina sniffled, holding up the rappelling device that had saved Keitaro for all to see. Apparently it had exploded the second it was fired, only Cheetah's impeccable speed and strength saving the Ronin from the pitfall.

"Genn…" Stripe asked, addressing the fretting Rakshasa, trying to remain calm in the face of adversity, as was befitting a monarch in the making "Could you perchance levitate us across the chasm?"

"The only things I can levitate are myself and inanimate objects!" Genn insisted, looking around in terror as the sounds of destruction drew ever nearer to their position, like taxes and visits from in-laws.

"Then just fly the grapple up to one of those pillars and tie it tight!" Gina insisted suddenly, holding out the line in question for Genn to do so "Alright, Stripe, Ace, you two go first." She ordered, "Cheetah, you go with them to make sure the line doesn't snap, Keitaro and I'll go last."

"Shouldn't you and Cheets go first?" Ace asked, though he didn't really mind getting the hell out of here, as 'death by rodent' would look REALY bad on his epitaph "I mean, the curse is after you right?"

"Right," Gina agreed, stumbling as a particularly violent roar shook the chamber "and both of us swinging across on a line would be the perfect way to off us, this way there only a fifty-fifty chance of that happening."

"Good enough for me!" Cheetah muttered, grabbing her 'muffin' under her arm and swinging across Tarzan style, much to Stripe's embarrassment. Ace went next, letting out an impressive whoop as he swung across, Cheetah pulling him up easily before hurling the line back.

"Just us now, Kei." Gina muttered, trying to sound bright and perky, but in all honesty she was a little nervous as she sidled up next to the Ronin, noting his trembling legs and shoulders out of concern "You okay?"

"Scared shitless." Keitaro admitted with a weak chuckle, earning a nervous giggle from the blonde, only for her to yelp as their pursuer appeared right behind them, eyes blazing with malicious ire as it hurled a gargantuan fireball at them.

Faster than you could say 'ZOINKS!' Gina had wrapped her arms around the Ronin's neck, causing him to flush at the feeling of her assets against his back, even as he swung them into the abyss, Cheetah holding on tight to the other end in case the rappel came undone, Ace and Stripe hurling debris at the rodent from the opposite ledge in an attempt to draw it's attention away from their friends.

They'd swung about half-way across when Keitaro heard the telltale sounds of fiber snapping, looking up, as if in a daze, just in time to see the rope was about to snap in half, his eyes widening as he realized the last fireball had done more than just add to their momentum.

Gina, who had only just heard the telltale snapping of her nigh-indestructible cord, suddenly found herself grabbed by the scruff of the neck by Keitaro's Stand, the Aztec muscleman hurling her through the air into Cheetah, who caught her with a startled grunt. "Keitaro!" the genius yelled, eyes wide as she realized exactly what the Ronin had just done, dropping from Cheetah's arms to the edge of the ledge just in time to see Keitaro, his eyes wide with terror, falling into the abyss, "NO!" she yelled, reaching out for him, only to be held back by her equally distraught sibling, her hand reaching towards the falling Ronin futilely "KEITAROOOOOOOOO!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For a moment, time seemed to slow down to a near crawl for everyone in the chamber as Keitaro fell deeper into the abyss. Ace and Stripe, moving with a slowness comparable to wading through molasses, called out for the man they had come to call friend, the Pilot hurling a rope at the Ronin, only to miss by a foot. Genn, tearing his eyes from the sight, let out a gasp of horror and covered his mouth to suppress a scream as he realized their demonic, vermin foe was about to cross the cavern, powering up it's aura for yet another magical assault. Brittany, too occupied with struggling to hold her sister in place, eyes shut and tears streaming down her fur, failed to notice the impeding threat, even as Gina stretched her arm out in a desperate, futile attempt to catch the man who'd saved her, tears streaming down her face even as she saw the Ronin smile at her sadly.

At that moment, as time sped up again, something inside Gina's body went 'click', a feeling akin to a full body sneeze coming over her as glowing green coils lashed out from her outstretched hand like a striking snake, startling the life out of her and Brittany.

As if responding to the blonde's will, the strange, emerald threads rushed towards the falling ronin, a slimy, Armour encased hand forming and wrapping around his outstretched arm, before snapping taut, only Brittany's enhanced reaction speed saved Gina from being dragged over the edge from the sudden weight on her arm, but even then the were-cheetah almost didn't grab her sibling in time.

Gina winced, the strain of having to suddenly support Keitaro's weight, not much more than her own actually, nearly pulling her arm out of it's socket, but the stubborn archaeologist bit her lip and clenched her fist as the Ronin smacked into their side of the cliff with a comedic yelp. To anyone else, particularly Stripe and Ace, it looked like the Ronin had suddenly started hovering in mid-air. But Gina, Cheetah and Keitaro, the only ones who could see the Stand for what it was, clearly saw a strange green humanoid hovering just behind Gina's shoulder, it's skin decorated with faintly glowing web-like patterns, the entire frame covered sparsely with beige plating. The thing's right arm had elongated, or rather unraveled, into several strangely organic coils, enabling its hand to extend towards the startled Ronin.

Wincing from the pain in her arm, Gina gazed down at Keitaro, heart soaring at the look of confused wonder in his adorable, chocolate eyes. "Didn't think you could get away that easy, did you Kei?" she quipped, a small smirk crossing her features as she beamed at him "You should know better…Gina Diggers never lets the big ones get away."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dun-Dun-DUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!

Keitaro is once again saved through the combined eforts of his friends, but it looks like he isn't the only one to awaken his inner potential.

And I'm guessing all you JoJo fans out there can guess just WHICH Stand I've bequeathed to everyone's favourite Archaeologist? The beloved women of Clamp won't be happy with this, lemme tell ya!

And yes, this WILL be a Harem Fic, and some of the Hinata girls will be included...maybe.

But they won't be meeting up with the ronin for a long time...and by that point things will have gotten pretty Bizarre indeed!

If you want me to post Stand Stats for the Stands, Lemme know, otherwise look up the JoJo Stand Stats Section of the JJBA community forum, or simply PM Me and I'll send you the file myself.

R&R or be Emerald Splash'd!

* * *


	9. Chapter 9

And so Gina's Stand makes an appearance, thus dashing the dreams of the beloved women of clamp for a Yaoi Pairing.

keitaro: WHAT?!?!

But anywho, things are picking up, and another fan favourite is set to make a...slightly different appearance this time round.

To Nanya: Well yeah, why do you think the tunnels of Genn's temple were all wrecked in the first place?

To HolyKnight5: One can only hope...in Hitsuzen...

To Dragon Man 180: The Beloved women of clamp created a JoJo doujin staring the son of Jotaro Kujo (undeniably male) and Kakyoin Noriaki (Pink hair, but male) called Jota Kujo, who hatched from an egg. Yeah...You read right. Gotta love the clamp ladies huh?

To OBSERVER01: How can she not fall in love with him? He's Keitaro!

To DeadpoolMcDuck: But of course! but it'll take a while for the flying tutrle to cross the ocean so you'll have to wait a while.

To Diablo200030002002: Seeing as Naru's set to go slashy the ronin slayer later on, that might come to pass. As for the others...well, kitsune's always good for a laff, Mutsumi honestly loves him and as for the Amalla idea...well, maybe next time Gina goes to MolMol she'll mention a...politcal marriage.

To DragonienandShikamaru: The owner of The World is indeed an enemy...of sorts, but it gets complicated later on. Afraid Rook and Julia's fight remains the same...only Julia will have something a LITTLE different on her side this time round. *Hint: The Greatest Frenchman That Ever Lived*

* * *

Chapter 9.

While Keitaro was quite grateful to still be counted amongst the living, the oddly flesh like coils of Gina's Stand preferable to whatever awaited him at the bottom of the cliff, it didn't stop him from realizing there was still a major pressing concern to be dealt with, namely a certain satanic rodent that was currently leaping through the air towards his cornered companions.

With a grunt, the Ronin wrapped both hands around the beige gauntlet securing him to the others, placed his feet against the wall of the ravine, his own Stand appearing alongside him as they kicked off and upwards, rising into the air with a yell, still bound by Gina's Stand, until they were right beside the startled demon. Before it could do more than gape at the Ronin with a 'WTF?' expression in it's beady little eyes, Keitaro's Stand grabbed the unholy horror by it's naked, wormlike tail, spinning it like a bola before hurling it right at a pillar on the opposite side of the chamber.

The demon, caught off guard and dizzy from it's unscheduled ride on the retaliatory carousel, ploughed through a stone column like a hot knife through butter, it's aura melting the stone as it went, but doing nothing for the blunt trauma that came from crashing into several stone walls on the way. "And STAY out!" Keitaro snapped at it, his Stand vanishing to wherever it went when not in use, even as gravity laid claim to him again, "YAAAAH!!!!!"

"Hold yer horses there, Indiana." Cheetah scoffed, grabbing Keitaro by the scruff of his neck before he could fall past them again "Nice follow through, but I think you need to work on your one-liners a bit."

"Sorry…not used to being the guy GIVING them." Keitaro admitted, scratching the back of his neck with a weak chuckle, blinking as he looked down, eyeing the abyss below warily "Uh…Cheetah-san…?"

Cheetah snorted, but consented and placed the Ronin back on solid ground, where he was promptly tackled by a concerned Gina, who began feeling him over for 'injuries', whilst the others looked on in bemusement. It didn't help that her Stand kept wrapping it's coils around him either.

"Man, why does all the weird shit happen when I team up with you girls?" Ace chuckled, pulling his trademark cap over his eyes with a smirk as he discreetly looked away from the screaming Ronin, wondering why the dude was bugging about 'tentacle rape'. Stripe, a little worried for his friend, merely nodding in agreement, noting the look in Cheetah's eyes and deciding to stay as close to the pilot as possible to ward of any…ministrations.

"In any case…" the lord of El Dorado coughed, getting everyone's attention "We should probably get out of here before that…THING," he shuddered in the direction Keitaro had hurled their vermine opponent "decides to come back for round two."

"The exit is this way…" Genn pointed out, hovering near a passage, the Rakshasa's face lighting up with a relieved smile as Keitaro finally managed to escape Gina's 'check-up', flushing like mad and, for some reason, pulling his fly back up "we should have a straight run to the surface from here…"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

two days later...Hinata city.

"Hinata-sama…" the head of the Hinata City Council greeted, glad to have the length of the council table between them as the matriarch sat down before him "I believe we have some news…"

"Do you now?" Granny Hina wondered, her tone good-natured as always, belying the fact she'd just punted one of the councilmen through a wall; admittedly a very THIN one, a wise investment on the councils behalf, but a wall nonetheless.

"Uh…yes…" Vetinari muttered slowly, subtly making sure his back was to a window, less resistance that way. "One of your…business contractors in the middle-east…Iran to be exact, just sent in a report, one of your weapons trade deals has…how should I put it…gone under?"

"Really now?" Hinata asked, her tone curious, though Vimes heard the telltale lighting of a fuse somewhere. NO-ONE messed with the Urashima family's business…those that did tended to...disappear.

"Yes…" Vetinari continued warily, not averting his eyes as he flipped through the word sheet before him, having memorized the contents already "We believe the American archaeologist/scientist Gina Diggers was involved."

"Gold Digger…" Hina muttered, a small frown coming to her face as she held her chin "I'd heard that Theodore's little girls were getting around lately…" she shrugged, "Ah well, Akbar's convoy was only one deal going on at the time."

"The thing is Hina-dono…" the elder continued, pushing a picture forwards that Vetinari had handed him earlier, watching as the councilmen passed it down like a hot potatoe "One of her companions…well, look for yourself."

Granny Hina did so, running her eyes over the blurry, sand torn photo that had been delivered via satellite, eyes widening as she recognized the bespectacled, messy haired man that was running away from an enraged battle camel.

"Of course by the time we got in contact with Akbar, Gold Digger and her companions had already departed." Vimes supplied, only to blink as Hina stood up, thanking them with a stiff bow, before walking away without another word.

'Of all the people to have run into!' the Urashima matriarch muttered, her mind reeling with the consequences of this turn of events 'Julia might be an agreeable sort, but if Theodore tries to convert Keitaro to his way of thinking…' she scowled, marching down the corridor to her car, where Haruka and Kanako waited. Steps would have to be taken, for Hina was not one to let twenty years of preparation go to waste.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rubbing his nose from a slight sneeze, Keitaro staggered into his room at the Diggers' home, or rather, his room in Gina's vast underground complex, riddled with security systems that seemed to have been programmed to take random potshots at him just for the heck of it, though on an admittedly low setting compared to the 'Frag-a-thon' Gina saved for actual intruders.

He collapsed on his bed, moaning as he tried to see if he was still, in fact, in one piece, the aching of his mutinous muscles oddly reassuring considering his low pain threshold.

After the incident at the chasm, they had managed to traverse the cavern unopposed. The real problems kicked off when they finally made it into the daylight, only to find Akbar and his goons waiting for them with veritable smorgasbord of artillery aimed at the entrance, ranging from machine-guns to RPGs…all Silver Plated.

Needless to say, Cheetah got the workout she was looking for.

'I wonder how much all that equipment cost?' Keitaro wondered, recalling how Akbar had been left weeping in the middle of a pile of smoking shrapnel that had once been his entire convoy 'Though I have to agree with Cheetah-san…the camel was pretty tasty.'

After leaving a significant mark on the illegal arms trade, they'd used one of Ace's contacts to charter a plane back stateside, which would've been more bearable if it weren't for the fact it was shipping cattle. The in-flight movie was nothing but Barney reruns too. Major suck-age

Needless to say, after refueling the Gina-mobile (at ridiculously over-inflate prices), and gunning back to California, narrowly dodging a fleet of police cruisers, Gina was quite glad to see her own front door, a feeling Brittany agreed with heartily. This ended the minute the door opened and one of the service-bots presented them with a stack of credit card bills, which according to Gina, weren't due till next month.

Deciding that, at that moment, he wanted to sleep more than anything else, and with Gina too preoccupied with trying to formulate a 'cure' for the curse to notice, the exhausted Ronin had slipped away to his room, dodging the odd stray projectile from the ever cheerful security system on the way. With a sigh he closed his eyes, slipping into the merciful embrace of slumber, blissfully unaware of the chaos set to erupt.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In Gina's lab, the silence was broken by the sound of a containment unit opening, emitting bursts of steam and random clicks. Lying on the floor of the unit, a slender being slowly opened its eyes, blinking in the harsh, artificial light of the room as it struggled to pull itself to its feet, feet that, until a second ago, it hadn't had, shivering as what felt like slime dripped off it's naked frame.

"Where…am I?" the figure wondered, a slender hand rising to its head, a decidedly feminine groan rising from it's throat as it, SHE, looked around the silent lab in confusion "I'm…in the lab…" she muttered, blue eyes blinking in confusion "That's right…I'm…Gina Diggers…" she winced, long blonde hair covering her face "No…I'm Brittany Diggers…" She stumbled, leaning against the wall of the unit for support, revealing a figure somewhere between Gina and Brittany's height, with a frame similar to the were-cheetahs, if more slender. "No…" She muttered, pushing her blonde hair out of her face to reveal a single black stripe running over her eye like a tattoo "I'm BOTH!"

Pushing off the wall of the tank, recognizing it as one of her, one of Gina's inventions, the strange woman took in her situation, eyeing the unconscious forms of Genn, in neutral form, Brittany and Gina with confusion and, for some reason, malice. "I know them…but I'm not them…" she noted, staggering past them, using her, or rather Gina's access codes to open the door of the lab, traversing the hallways unchallenged, the security systems confused by her DNA as she made her way towards Gina's room. "My head's killing me…" she muttered, a slight chill in the corridor causing Goosebumps to race across her form "So many conflicting memories…"

She paused by one of the doors, gazing at it in confusion even as Gina's memories filled in the blanks "Kei…taro?" she mumbled, both of the Diggers' memories calling up the image of the smiling, brown eyed Ronin that had fallen into their lives, a warm flush rising to her cheeks as she recalled some of the more…juicier memories, namely the candid camera shots Gina had of him without his knowledge.

"Hmm…I wonder if he really is as cute asleep as I…Gina, remembers." She chuckled, creaking the door open and slinking into the darkened chamber, grinning as she espied the ronin passed out on the bed "Oh he's making this WAY too easy." She snickered, slipping into the room and sidling up to the bed with the grace of a cat, most likely Brittany's influence.

"He's even cuter up close…" she noted, gazing down at the Ronin's messy hair and resting, almost childlike expression as he dozed, thoroughly exhausted from the events of the past few days "and he smells good too…" she noted, a light flush coming to her cheeks as Cheetah's inherited sense of smell detected the strangest combination of chocolate and spice that was Keitaro's natural scent.

Looking over her shoulder, the composite being promptly, and with great care, lifted the slumbering Ronin off the bed and pulled the covers down, placing him back onto it only after she'd stripped him of his clothes "I'll sort those two out later…" she promised, a devious smirk on her features as she climbed into the bed with him "For now…let's see just how responsive he is…"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gina groaned as she was roused from her tantalizing dream of being waited on hand and foot by an army of well-cut guys in revealing waistcoats and shorts by the incessant poking of her younger sister. "Whuh…what is it…?"

"I take back everything I ever said about that 'kooky' idea of yours." Brittany replied with a smirk, leaning on the base of Gina's machine as she watched her sister come to her senses "It totally worked! I don't feel the curse anymore! We're FREE!"

"It did?" Gina wondered, surprise lining her features for a nano-second, before perking right up and beaming as she gripped the 'lapels' off her bodysuit like braces "Of course it worked! Am I good or what?"

"Hey, Genn!" Brittany called out, walking over to the moaning Rakshasa as Gina continued to preen, knowing from experience that she'd ramble on for a good minute or so "One of Gina's schemes actually paid off! Our troubles are over!"

"I'm glad for you…" the shape shifter replied with a grunt "Though I wish she'd thought to warn me about the energy discharge BEFORE she activated the device!" He shook his horned head to clear it, only to blink as he caught sight of the empty tank of protoplasm.

"Zoinks! Where'd it go?!" Gina yelped, sticking her head into the booth, eyes widening in alarm and a little fear. Protoplasm was dangerous stuff on it's own, she didn't want to think what combining it with an ancient magical curse would do.

"Maybe there's something on the security vids…" Brittany suggested, crossing over to one of Gina's many terminals and pressing a few buttons to call up the video feed "Dammit…where's the damn…GINA?!"

"ZOINKS!" Gina squeaked, flushing magenta and pushing her sister out of the way as one of her 'secret' videos, a certain hentai film Keitaro had mentioned in passing, started playing on the monitor "Sorry about that, forgot that was still in there."

"You hormonal little…" Brittany muttered, flushing as she imagined her and a certain prince of El Dorado going through the same things she saw on the film, only to cut off as the security vids started playing back "Hey, who the heck's that?"

"Jinkies! The protoplasm came to life!" Gina exclaimed, watching as a curvaceous figure, somewhere between her height and Cheetah's impressive build, crawled out of the tank, steam rising from lightly tanned skin, the lab lights glinting off her long, golden hair. "Too bad the videos aren't set up for audio." The scientist muttered, only for her eyes to widen in alarm "Hey! She used my personal access code for the door!"

"Say what? I thought you had DNA scanners for that stuff?" Brittany muttered, watching in confusion as the figure stumbled out of the lab, her gait eerily similar to her own "And why isn't the security system reacting?"

"Hey! That's Keitaro's room!" Gina exclaimed, leaning on the counter in alarm as the mysterious woman hovered outside the door, gripping her head in one hand, only to enter said chamber after peeking inside "Zoinks! Come on Brit!"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keitaro moaned in his sleep, his body slowly loosening up, the fatigue from the trials in Iran and Genn's temple slowly seeping out of his frame as his healing factor was allowed to do its thing. The Ronin didn't know why it seemed to work faster whenever he rested, but he'd never been one to complain about it before, and wasn't about to stop now.

As he drifted between slumber and waking, his mind moving through a comforting haze, he was dimly growing aware of a presence beside him on the bed. Reaching out with a hand, trying to ward off whoever it was that was trying to wake him, the Ronin frowned as said member came in contact with something soft yet firm, which earned an approving gasp from the figure, one that sent shivers down his spine as his mind processed the shape and texture of the object.

'Circular…rather soft too…' he noted, his mind moving at a snails pace 'pretty plump' he noted, his other hand grasping a second shape next to it's twin, before squeezing the foreign objects several times, earning soft moans from whatever it was 'a little heavy…D-cup…?'

The second those words entered his head, the Keitaro O.S shifted to full Defcon-4, his eyes snapping wide and his body seizing up as he gaped at the dual handfuls of cleavage in his frozen hands. With a monumental effort, he managed to drag his eyes away from the twin peaks up towards the summit, his eye wide as he caught sight of the woman's smile and the stripe over her eye. "Cheetah…san?" he stammered, only to yelp as she pressed her lips onto his own, his eyes widening further as he struggled, failing against the woman's enormous strength, her hand coming to the back of his neck to hold him in place, the other reaching down to grope his bottom.

"Mmmm…" his assailant purred, releasing his lips with an audible smacking noise, leaving the Ronin's head to loll dazedly as she traced a finger over his lips "You're a pretty good kisser…Keitaro."

"You're…not Cheetah-san…" the Ronin breathed, taking a closer look at the woman, cursing the fact he'd taken his spectacles off. He couldn't make out her features in the dark, but her voice alone was enough to assure him that this wasn't Gina's little sister.

"Quick on the uptake too." The woman chuckled, leaning in close and nibbling his neck, causing his skin to crawl "I like that, but your half wrong…for I am Cheetah…but at the same time, I'm not…" she grinned "For one thing, Cheetah wouldn't have the nerve to do…THIS!"

Keitaro blinked, only to squawk indignantly as something slipped into his pants and started fondling away, his blush threatening to set the whole room alight. "Oooooh…!" his assailant whistled appreciatively "Gina's memories weren't exaggerating after all! How do you walk around with something like this in your pants, you horn dog you?"

Keitaro couldn't reply, his throat refusing to make any noises outside of choked, gurgling sounds as he lay there, completely overwhelmed by the situation, even as the woman began trailing kisses down his neck. A small part of his brain was screaming at him to run away before Murphy decided to get his ass in gear and strike him down, but another voice, one that had been growing in strength since he started living with the Diggers, was telling him to take it like a man.

"I'm going to rock your world, Keitaro…" his assailant whispered, her breath tickling his ear as she slowly clambered on top of him, holding him down with her weight, causing him to wince as she sat on his growing bulge "Hold on tight…Hm?"

Keitaro closed his eyes, at that moment not really giving a damn what happened next as he laid back, the woman slowly pulling his pants down between them. Then the lights snapped on, blinding him, followed by a choked yell from his assailant as her weight vanished from his waist, leaving him as hard as ever, but with no signs of relief in sight.

'Why do you hate me God?' the Ronin whimpered, even as the shouting he'd long expected started up at the foot of his bed, prompting him to reach out to his nightstand for his glasses. Blinking the last of the blindness away, the former Kanrinin could only gape at the sight of a ruffled looking Cheetah holding a struggling, naked woman off the ground by the scruff of her neck, whilst Gina gaped into the room from her position in the doorway, having turned on the lights.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Well now, what do we have here?" the lycanthrope wondered, eyeing her thrashing captive carefully as she took a quick, cursory whiff of her scent "You smell like me…but at the same time you smell like Gina."

"Lemme go!" the woman snarled, thrashing around like a snake in a rumba convention, only for Cheetah to tighten her grip on the scruff of her neck "AH! I knew I should've dealt with you two when I woke up!"

"Jinkies! She looks just like us!" Gina exclaimed, drawing in close to gaze at their captive in alarm "My eyes, my hair, Cheetah's build and stripe…" she ran her eyes over the woman "She's like a composite of both of us!"

"So what, she's a clone?" Brittany asked, only to frown as her captive scoffed, having finally calmed down somewhat, crossing her arms before her chest, which while not as bountiful as Brittany's was still pretty damn impressive.

"Hardly," the woman shot back "A clone is nothing but a carbon copy of the original. I possess the best of both of you, Gina's brains, Brittany's brawn…and both of your accumulated memories…I know you better than you know yourselves."

"Cocky little copycat aren't'cha…" Brittany muttered, shaking the interloper with a growl, earning a shocked gasp from Gina, who motioned for her to stop "Not only that…but you REEK of that curse that's been hounding us since we ditched Iran!"

"Remember the purpose of the protoplasm?" the interloper shot back snidely, a smug little smirk that both sisters were guilty of using forming on her face "A little game of 'keep away' with powers beyond your understanding, wasn't it?"

"She's right…" Genn noted, slipping into the room and eyeing the intruder warily "The Curse is there…somewhere in the back of her mind, it's influencing her…making her HATE you both…" he gripped his head staggering against a concerned Gina "Sorry…it's a bit of a mess in there…she hates you…but at the same time she loves you on a level that surpasses my reasoning.'

"Sneaky little snitch…" the composite woman grumbled, blushing slightly as she glared at the Rakshasa as Gina helped him to a chair "Peeking where you don't belong, and you say you're not male…"

"Don't blame Genn for being what he is!" Gina chastised, though her eyes showed only concern as she turned to address the woman "I'm not going to ask what you were doing in here…" she cast a glance due Keitaro to find the Ronin sitting up dazedly on his bed, trying his best to cover himself and failing admirably "But I can't hold you responsible for your actions…it's the curse that's manipulating you."

"If you mean my desire to kill you and mother-Brittany, then you're absolutely correct." The composite shot back with a smirk "However, you can't blame a curse for my trying to see what Keitaro's like in the sack…that's YOUR genes in action, Mother."

Gina flushed scarlet, sputtering incoherently about the thought never crossing her mind, only to trail off from three sets of knowing gazes. "A-anyway!" she stammered, turning her back to Genn and drawing closer to the captive clone "I can help you!" she insisted "I can dump the curse into another batch of protoplasm without the side-effects! You can be free!"

"Pretty words…" the composite muttered, looking away to hide the doubt in her eyes from the shorter blonde "But how do I know you won't just blast me with a lethal dose of bio-electricity while I'm in the booth?" she lowered her head "That's what I'd do…"

"Gina-san isn't like that!" Keitaro called out, startling the others at his tone as they turned to regard the Ronin, who was standing up awkwardly, his…problem, having not quite died down yet "If you really have her memories, you should know better than anyone she isn't the type to kill someone!"

The composite looked at the man she'd assaulted not minutes ago in awe, noting the concern in his chocolate brown eyes with a faint rush, before looking away. "I…I want to believe it…" she stammered, her body trembling "But...it's like…I can't…!"

She blinked, eyes widening as Gina stepped right up to her and embraced her, arms wrapping around her neck in a loving, protective embrace, the smaller woman's hands stroking her hair in a manner Brittany…SHE always loved as a child.

"It's alright…" the shorter blonde assured her, tone soft and caring, as she continued to stroke her hair "Keitaro's right…I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

The woman trembled, part of her wanting to wrap her arms around the smaller blonde and return the hug…the other wanting to use her inherited Were-cheetah strength to snap her spine like a twig, only for her eyes to widen as Cheetah released her grip on her neck and joined the hug, looking back to see the exasperated smirk on the lycanthropes face.

"Man…trust Gina to find a way to turn a fistfight into a group hug…" she muttered, shooting the beaming scientist as look as she shook her head "But she's right…you're family…and I don't hurt my family."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Trapped between her, for lack of a better word, parents, the composite woman could only tremble as, within the very core of her being, a titanic battle took place. On the one side, the dark energies of the curse surged for control of her motor functions, urging her to vibrate her muscles, to force the dup off her and then finish them off with one final blow. On the other, her feeling of love for the Diggers' sisters compelled her to trust in them, to not hurt them. It was a battle that threatened to spilt her body in two, and it certainly wasn't doing Genn's headache any favors.

In the end, as is often the case during stalemates of this level, the two opposing forces worked out a compromise.

Gina and Brittany yelped as their, daughter/sibling/clone, suddenly shifted into high gear, her frame blurring into motion, throwing them to opposite sides of the room, before turning on her heel and racing out the door so fast it slammed shut behind her.

"Damn! She's getting away!" Cheetah yelled, leaping to her feet and taking off after the copy, only half catching Gina's plea to 'Not hurt her'. "WHOO!" she whistled, racing just around the corner just in time to catch sight of her target "You're pretty fast!" she complemented, actually breathing hard as she traversed the underground complex, just behind her prey "But not…fast…ENOUGH!"

With a last grunt, she grabbed the startled clone's arm, throwing her, admittedly with less force that she would have earlier, into the floor of the hallway, leaning on top of her to keep her pinned down "Fast as me huh?" she taunted, only for her smirk to drop as she looked into tear stained eyes, wracked with conflicting terror and anger "H-hey now…"

"I…I can't…" the composite stammered, her eyes wild, torn between her fear of hurting the lycanthrope and her equally burning desire to do exactly that "Have to…get away…don't want…can't…won't...!"

"E-easy there…" Brittany stammered, trying to comfort her 'just how did you refer to a clone anyways?' before she freaked out any worse "Gina'll figure something out…she usually does, even if it blows up from time to time…"

"I…I…" her captive stammered, only to lash out at her with a desperate yell "GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Cheetah leant back out of the way of the blow, wondering just what the hell was taking her sister so long, only to pale as she found herself looking down the barrel of a gun she'd somehow missed in the woman's hand, only her superior reflexes allowing her to tilt her head out of the path of the bullet "JEEZUS! You trying ta kill me?!" she snapped, rolling away from the stunned woman, who was staring at the gun in her hand in disbelief "And where'd you get that peashoot-ERK!"

Whatever Brittany was about to say was cut off as something drilled into her shoulder blade, knocking her on hr face with a yowl as she clutched at the aching wound with her good hand, hissing as she felt smoke rise from the wound. 'Fffff*$#!' she hissed, twisting on the floor in agony as her muscles tried to force the invading body out 'Oh F%$# that hurts!' she grit out, teeth clenched tight as her skin refused to close properly 'A magical bullet?! Where the hell'd she get one of those?!'

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I…I didn't mean to…" the woman stammered, staring down at the yowling were-cheetah and the gun she'd somehow drawn out of thin air, holding it to her chest, unable to believe what just happened, fighting down the urge to gloat over the injured woman.

"_**Finish her…" **_a dark voice whispered in the back of her mind, a dark, sinister voice that spoke of millennia of experience and control _**"Finish her, and then Gina too…take what's theirs and make it yours…"**_

"_Don't do it!" _another voice insisted, this one young, but layered with a strength of will that was both alien and familiar at the same time, the voice seming more natural than the first _"You don't want to do this!"_

"Shut up…" the woman hissed, resting her forehead against the barrel of the gun, her eyes shut and teeth clenched as she felt a migraine build up behind her eyeballs "Shut up, shut up, shut up-!"

"Jinkies! What happened here!" Gina yelled, running up to the group with her eyes wide, taking in the sight of her injured sister and their panicked doppelganger "Cheetah! Are you okay?"

"Do I LOOK okay to you?" the lycanthrope ground out, tears in her eyes as her healing factor tried to force out the bullet, "Bitch's packing magic bullets…shot my from behind even though I dodged the shot."

"I…I didn't mean to…" their doppelganger stammered, her eyes wide with disbelief as the urgings of the curse demanded she target the older sister "I…the gun just went off and…I don't even know where it came from…"

"It's alright…" Gina insisted, holding her hands up to show she was unarmed, stepping softly around her injured sibling as she walked towards her composite double "Just calm down…we can work this out…"

"No we can't!" the woman yelled, her eyes hysterical "You keep saying we can talk, that we're family, but we're not! My memories are composites of both of you! But none of them are MINE!" she closed her eyes "I don't even have a name! I'm nothing!"

"You're wrong." Keitaro called out, rounding he corner with a recovering Genn over his shoulder, his eyes gentle behind his glasses "I used to think I was nothing too…less than nothing, because that's all people told me I'd be." He looked towards the Diggers sisters, "Then I met Gina-san and Cheetah-san…and their father, Dr. Diggers-sensei, and they showed me that I mattered as a person, that even a loser like me had a place in their family."

"Keitaro…" Gina and the composite breathed, blinking as they realized they'd done so in tandem, even as the Ronin stepped forwards, a kind smile on his face as he looked the panicked doppleganger in the eyes.

"So don't go saying you're life isn't your own." He insisted, "And don't let that curse keep you from having the family you deserve…sisters shouldn't fight after all." He chuckled, knowing from personal experience just how scary such fights could be.

"Sisters…?" the composite repeated, looking desperately between the assembled people, her eyes wide and confused, as if she was trying to wrap her mind around the anwer to life itself "They're my…sisters?"

"We are…" Gina insisted, smiling at her and holding out a hand, the other on her chest "I know this must be so confusing, but Brittany and I shared so many things together, sharing them with you just means we're that much closer." She drew closer, "And as for you name, since you share traits from both of us, it only makes sense to do the same with your name…welcome to my family…Brianna Diggers."

The woman…Brianna, blinked at her sister, eyeing the shorter blonde in disbelief, wanting to believe her more than anything else, the malign whispers of the curse urging her to aim the weapon in her hand and pull the trigger, to put a bullet between those baby blues, to silence that loving smile. As Gina drew closer, she paused, eyes widening as the gun was raised, slowly, to aim at her, only for her eyes to widen as Brianna aimed the weapon at herself.

"Don't move!" the newly named Diggers sibling ordered, her eyes desperate as she cocked the hammer "I…I don't want to hurt you…but I can't fight this thing forever!" she smiled, a sad, heartfelt thing as she gazed at the horrified expression on Gina's face "I…I just don't want to hurt you…sis." A tear trickled down her cheek as she tightened her grip on the finger "I love you."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"No!" Keitaro yelled, leaping forwards desperately, cursing as his Stand reacted, far too slow, knowing that even with it's reaction speed it was still four meters between him and Brianna, and the hammer on the gun was already falling.

Abruptly, familiar emerald coils lashed out, pulling the gun upwards and holding the startled Brianna captive as a familiar plated face formed behind her, Gina breathing a sigh of relief as she leant against the wall, her hand extended towards her restrained sibling.

"I had my friend there attach itself to you when we hugged." The scientist explained, nodding to her Stand for emphasis "I didn't want to take the risk of you hurting yourself…or anyone else, because of the curse."

Brianna, her eyes wide in confusion, stared at the slimly, technorganic coils of Gina's spirit, 'Stand' her mind corrected, recalling Keitaro refer to it as such during a conversation with Genn, flinching slightly as they wrapped around her naked frame, suspending her off the ground like something out of a B-movie. Her gun, held tight in her restrained right hand, was being held straight up at the roof to prevent her blasting her brains out by a beige armored gauntlet. "Well…this is awkward…" she noted, looking down at herself with wide eyes as Gina flushed slightly "Kinda kinky tho', wouldn't you say, Kei?"

Keitaro, his eyes punching through his spectacles at the sight, merely let out a choked scream and keeled over backwards, face redder than a baboon's ass, a concerned Genn fighting down a blush as the Rakshasa's ESP picked up on the images racing through the Ronin's mind.

"So f-ing KEY-UTE!" Brianna snickered, a similar look on Gina's face as they giggled at the Ronin's expense, though Gina had the decency to look embarrassed "So what now?" the composite asked.

"Well…first we need to get Cheetah to a med-lab." Gina muttered, turning her attention to her sibling, who had fallen into a healing sleep to handle the pain "Then I have to do something about that curse..."

"Perhaps I can lend a hand with that." A familiar voice stated, the sisters blinking as Dr. Theodore Diggers stepped out of a Dimension Door, Tark and Mesha in tow, a knowing twinkle in his eye as he quirked an eyebrow at his daughter "My, you certainly know how to get yourself into trouble Gina."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And that's about as good a place as any to sign out for now.

I'm probably gonna be flamed so hard for altering the Biranna birth scene, but think about it, when does anything go according to script wherever Keitaro goes?

Also, for those who asked: Stand Stats will be included as of next update, starting with Keitaro. Since the GD cast is mostly american, expect names in western format, sorry for all you sticklers out there.

That said, Keep on Reviewin'!

* * *


	10. Chapter 10

Bit of an early treat for you fans out there, since I might not be ble to update for a while.

Here, Keitaro finally gets around to naming his Stand, which means I can finally start using Stand Stats again!

As stated, Stand Stats will be posted when theur user names them, so have a little patience, kay?

Halibel: Get started already.

* * *

Chapter 10.

Back in Hinata city, Mitsune Konno, aka Kitsune, staggered back into her room at the Hinata dorms, trembling slightly from the stern debriefing she'd been given at the hands of Granny Hina. Su and Shinobu had returned earlier, the Molmolian Princess looking a little concussed, but otherwise perfectly normal. Kitsune had last seen the girl going over the schematics for what looked like a mech-orangutan whilst chewing on a banana, so nothing new there.

Shinobu, on the other hand, was glowing in a manner that, until that moment, Kitsune had normally associated with a night of kinky monkey sex. But the girl obviously hadn't been manhandled in any way, Granny Hina wouldn't go THAT far after all, so the resident fox honestly couldn't explain the chef's good mood.

Naru and Motoko were still being held overnight…for 'rehabilitation' her escort had explained when she'd asked where they'd gone. Kitsune hadn't liked the way he said it, or the screams that were echoing through the underground cells as she'd been led out, blindfolded so as to ensure she couldn't find the way back.

'One thing's for certain' the Fox of Hinata muttered, as she slumped onto her deliciously soft mattress, to exhausted to even drink 'I'm through letting Naru get me into these messes…and if Keitaro ever comes back…' she smiled wryly 'well I haven't worn the black dress for a while…'

From the doorway, Agent 623 watched as the older woman fell into a fitful sleep, a smile on her face as she slid the door to the room shut behind her 'Kei-kun won't be coming home to a battlefield anymore.' She assured herself, before returning to her room to finish off the melon she'd been snacking on.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keitaro moaned, his eyes fluttering open as he fought the urge to retch at the smell of the magical smelling salts Tark was wafting under his nose, Mesha supporting the Ronin's head and shoulders with gentle hands. "Welcome back," Tark greeted, a smile on his face as he put the smelling salts away, helping the Ronin to his feet "You really do have a habit of passing out. Maybe you should get your blood tested."

"Probably should." Keitaro agreed, flushing slightly as he recalled the reason WHY he'd blacked out earlier, turning to espy Brianna, who smiled flirtingly at him from under the blanket that was draped over her for the sake of modesty, while Dr. Diggers spoke with an understandably nervous Gina.

" I really do wish you'd stop to consider the consequence of your actions more often." The Archmage chastised his daughter, having just dealt with the malignant curse that troubled his new addition to the family, after being brought up to speed on the details "If you had taken the appropriate steps, or even waited for me to return from the council…" he sighed and looked his daughter over with relieved eyes "I'm just glad we adjourned earlier!"

"Sorry dad…" Gina offered, rubbing her neck in that manner she used whenever she goofed BIG time and the Archmage had to bail her out "I was just worried that something bad would happen…there's a lot of things that can go wrong down here after all."

"Yes…" the doctor muttered, recalling some of the multitude of heavy ordinances his daughter liked to stash around her lab, the idea of one of those death machines running amok sending a shiver up his spine "Anyways, I'll leave you and…Brianna was it? To catch up while I check on Brittany." He turned to the recovered Ronin and smiled "Care to join me Keitaro?"

Keitaro swallowed, wondering if he was in for the flaming-skull treatment, only for the smile in the doctor's eyes to set him at ease as they walked down the corridor "I'm really sorry about all this Dr. Diggers." He offered, rubbing his neck, "Looks like no matter where I go things get out of hand."

"I don't want you blaming yourself for this Keitaro." Theodore countered, looking at the young man kindly, but sternly "Gina and Brittany have gotten themselves into messes like this before, you could say they have a knack for it." he smiled sadly "Just like their mother…"

Keitaro blinked, looking up at the Archmage as his features turned wistful, they eyes going distant, as if seeing some cherished memory. The Ronin had often wondered about his friends' mother, having met Dr. Diggers on many occasions since moving into the Diggers home, but never knew how to broach the subject, not naturally being one to pry.

"Sorry," the mage offered, wiping his eyes slightly as he spoke "I drifted off for a moment there, in any case, I did a little asking around about your companion…" he nodded towards the Ronin, who returned it.

"Genn called it a Stand." Keitaro explained, pointing over his shoulder as the spirit materialized, arms crossed over its chest as it hovered just behind the ronin protectively "He said they've been around for quite some time."

"That they have," Doctor Diggers acknowledged, stroking his beard "And for good reason too, for Stands, according to a tome by one Elder Tonpeti, are a physical manifestation of one's fighting spirit, their aura if you will." He nodded at the Aztec figure "They say that ESP and psychic abilities in humans are actually some form of latent Stand ability shining through."

"Wow…" Keitaro noted, looking up at his transparent, silver skinned guardian in awe, before turning back to the doctor with a look of confusion on his face "but I don't understand…exactly HOW did it attach itself to me?"

"It's ALWAYS been a part of you Keitaro." Dr. Diggers corrected, "A stand is unique to its user's native aura, no doubt your advanced healing factor and ability to survive virtually anything stem from your Stand's latent powers." He reached into the pocket of his mage suit, pulling out a familiar piece of stone "As for why it only fully manifested…I believe THIS played some factor."

"My arrowhead!" Keitaro exclaimed, wondering where he'd left the memento from his first adventure lying around, slipping it around his neck as Theodore watched with an approving expression.

"I've examined it with my magic" the Archmage explained "and found it to be of an alien element, never seen before on earth." He raised a hand before his face "Not only that…but it turns out that it has interesting effects on a person's aura…" a cluster of intangible purple vines burst out of the mage's hand and forearm "namely the awakening of said person's Stand."

"You too Doctor?" the Ronin wondered, eyeing the translucent vines as they rustled in some phantom breeze, wincing at the fact they seemed to form under the mage's skin, like protruding veins.

"It was quite a shock for me too," Theodore admitted, looking over the vines with an calm stare "I accidentally pricked my finger whilst handling the arrowhead…and the next thing I knew thorns were bursting out of my hand." He frowned and the vines vanished, leaving his skin unmarked, "I can control it at will, and it seems to react quite well to my aura spells, from what I can tell from my initial testing."

"But…what about Gina?" Keitaro asked, recalling how shocked, albeit in a relieved sort of way, he'd been to see the emerald figure hovering behind the blonde back at the tomb "She never touched the arrowhead…but she has a stand too!"

"I must admit she surprised me too." Theodore admitted, recalling the scene from the hallway with a discreet cough "However, I believe several theories from elder Tonpeti's tome can answer that." He held up a finger "One: the familial bond between myself and Gina allowed the awakening of my Stand to influence her own." He held up another "The other, that being in close proximity to you awakened her own abilities…after all, she claimed to be able to see your spirit during the fight with the werewolves, correct?"

Keitaro shivered, recalling THAT particular incident with less than fond memories, he still had the occasional nightmare of the hulking male wolf chasing him through the woods.

"In any case," Theodore cut in, drawing the Ronin out of his dark thoughts as the mage pulled, of all things, a deck of cards from his mage suit "It is said that, in olden times, Stands drew their powers and abilities from mystical sigils and tarots. Many, in fact, were named after their respective tarot." He pulled out a specific card from the deck, revealing a wizened old man with a staff "My Stand, when I divined its tarot with a clairvoyance spell, was of the Hermit Arcana…I call it Hermit Purple."

"Cool…" Keitaro noted, wondering just what the sentient nest of thorns could do, especially if they could compliment the Archmage's spells, only to blink as Dr. Diggers held the stack of cards out to him, as if asking him to draw.

"While I'm not an expert in such things," the mage admitted, "I'd be honored if you let me name your Stand as well." He smiled at the look of confusion on the Ronin's face "Simply draw a card, you'll know which one to pick."

Keitaro nodded, eyeing the stack of cards before him with trepidation, his hand hovering over them indecisively only to blink as his Stand reached out, gripping a card from the deck between thumb, middle and index fingers, much to the amusement of Doctor Diggers.

"It would seem your choice has been made." The Archmage chuckled, accepting the card from the Stand and looking it over "The Star Arcana…symbolizing new Hope…rather fitting I'd say." He smiled and returned the card to the Ronin "Then if you'll let me, I name your Stand: Star Platinum."

"Star Platinum…" Keitaro muttered, looking down at the card, his Stand's hands on his shoulders, it's eyes locked onto the card that displayed a single Star, shining above a half-cut picture of the earth "Awesome."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Theodore chuckled, watching as the Ronin let the feel of the name sweep over him. Having a Stand was all well and good, according to what he'd read in Tonpeti's tome, but according to that ancient elder, naming you Stand increased the level of affinity and control you possessed over it, for the power in naming something was one of the oldest in memoriam. "In any case, I think we've kept Brittany waiting long enough." He noted, putting the cards away and heading towards the infirmary "I'll just step in to let her know I'm home and-!" he trailed off, eyes widening in confusion as he looked into the infirmary.

"Dr. Diggers?" Keitaro asked, sticking his head into the doorway to see what was wrong, only to blink at the sight of the conspicuously empty med-room "That's odd…I thought you said Brittany-san was here...?"

"She WAS…" Theodore muttered, his eyes narrowing in suspicion as he detected the remnants of arcane residue, sure sign that his adoptive daughter had been spirited away by someone with at least an inkling of magic "Someone came in and used magic to transport her away." He noted, rubbing the medic-bed with a frown "But to where?"

"Should I let Gina know?" Keitaro asked, concern for Gina's adoptive sibling in his eyes, only to pause as their father shook his head, placing a hand on the ronin's shoulder to stall him in place.

"No, Gina has enough to deal with at the moment." Theodore insisted, referring to the habilitation of their new family member, before closing his eyes as he focused onto Brittany's unique aura signature "I'll handle this one personally."

"You want some help?" Keitaro asked, honestly not too certain if he COULD do anything useful, as the 'hero thing' still gave him a hard time, but not liking the idea of sitting around while a friend was in trouble.

"Not really, but I appreciate your concern." Theodore assured the ronin, a grateful smile on his face. Truth be told he'd missed his little adventuring trips with Gina and his wife, having someone with you was half the fun after all, and it was refreshing to see just how good a person the Urashima male was "I'll just let the girls know first, no point in inconveniencing them if they can't get a hold of me."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'I'm sorry Lord Stripe' Hihgh Priestess Tanya muttered, having just left the Kryn Prince staring heartbroken after her as she left his room under the guise of Brittany Diggers, 'But don't worry, I'll be back soon once I ditch this disguise to help you forget that spotted skank ever-huh?'

"Ah, Cheetah-san!" a jovial voice noted, the disguised sorceress watching in horror as her rivals adoptive father, Dr. Theodore Diggers, and some little geek with glasses faded into view right next to her, nearly causing her to drop her disguise prematurely "Thank goodness!" the bespectacled nerd cheered "We were worried when you weren't in the infirmary!"

"Yes, your sudden disappearance had me quite worried," the Archmage admitted, shuddering at the thought of one of his enemies, quite a lot to pick from too, taking advantage of his daughter to get to him "I think a word with Stripe concerning forewarning is in order…"

Tanya sighed in relief, apparently safe under the guise of her rival for the moment, only to pale as Dr Diggers frowned, his eyes shining with power, as he looked her over with a darkening expression. "Wait a moment…who are you?" the Archmage demanded, his voice laced with suspicion "You've assumed Brittany's form, but your aura gives you away!"

"Dr. Diggers?" Keitaro queried, looking between the two in confusion, and to be honest a little fear, as arcs of electricity filled the air, leaping back out of the path of a bolt of lightning that Brittany launched from her fingertips "What the hell?!"

"You cannot hurt me imposter!" Dr. Diggers boomed, his voice like a thousand thunderstorms and his eyes glowing beacons of wrath as he casually waved a hand to dispel the impostor's fearfull attack "What have you done with Brittany?! Why have you assumed her form!" he advanced on the cowering double, his aura crackling as he tried to force his way into her mind "Answer me! LOOK AT ME!"

"What's going on out here?" Stripe's voice called out, the Lord of El Dorado stepping out of his room, having been drawn by the commotion and Tanya's screams, only to see Dr. Diggers bearing down on a terrified Brittany, who took one look a the Kryn prince before teleporting away. 'Since when does Cheetah know Magic?' he wondered, 'And why did she sound like Tanya?'

"Stripe-san!" Keitaro called out, drawing the Kryn prince's attention to the Ronin, who was looking a little, shocked, his hair standing up due to his proximity to the lightning spell "Where's Cheetah-san?!'

"I…thought THAT was Cheetah…" Stripe admitted, some small ray of hope blossoming in his chest that the heartbreaking refusal he'd just gone through may not have been real, that someone was trying to trick him "She…left my room not ten seconds ago…"

"That Was NOT my daughter." Dr. Diggers insisted firmly, his face deadly serious as he turned to address the Kryn prince "I came here to find her after Gina and Brianna told me she'd come to visit you. I hope your people don't make a habit of kidnapping guests from their homes, Lord of El Dorado."

"Kidnapping?" Stripe repeated, looking all the more confused by the second "But…our head priestess, Tanya, brought Brittany over as a surprise! I had intended to invite her over to attend a festival, but she'd thought ahead and did so without having to be asked…"

Keitaro looked between the two as the older man's scowl deepened and the Kryn prince's skin paled beneath his fur. Clearly they had put together something he hadn't, because the next minute Stripe was rushing down the corridor, calling over his shoulder for Dr, Diggers to use his magic to locate Brittany. "What's going on sir?" he asked, turning to the Archmage, who was already using his clairvoyance spell to locate his wayward charge.

"I think we may have stepped into a bigger hornet's nest than I anticipated, Keitaro." Theodore muttered, his face grim as he powered up a dimension door "I suppose the old adage is as valid as ever, a woman scorned is a fearful thing."

Keitaro, who knew first hand the kind of evil, evil things the fairer sex could dish out, as he'd experienced quite a lot of them in the year he'd spent as Kanrinin of Hinata-Sou, wisely kept his trap shut as Dr. Diggers' spell washed over them, shifting them from the golden hallway outside Stripe's room to a barren cave, only for his eyes to widen as he espied a VERY familiar female werewolf rise up behind the Doctor, who had suddenly smiled at something behind the Ronin.

Blood sprayed before the Ronin's eyes, covering his cheek and the far wall a dull copper.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Dad!" Brittany choked, yer eyes wide with terror as Jetta's blow gouged a massive strip out of her father's torso, the trembling corpse collapsing on a startled Keitaro, who was too dumbstruck to even scream.

" 'Dad' huh?" Jetta scoffed, licking the blood off her fingers with obvious merriment in her cold, lupine eyes "That was a lot more satisfying than I thought…" she smirked as she licked another drop off "Mmmm…tasty too."

Cheetah snarled, her fangs elongating as a feline growl built up in the back of her throat, her fist drawn back in anger as she advanced on the werewolf, only to blink as someone beat her to the punch…literally.

"Whu-whub da helb?" Jetta sputtered as she crashed against the wall and slid down, covering her bleeding snout with one hand as she tried to get her bearings, gaping up at her assailant in amazement 'The nerd?!'

"You…killed…Dr. Diggers…" Keitaro stammered, his eyes shadowed as he stood up, slowly, from his spot at the mage's side, his fists slowly clenching until the knuckles turned white from the preassure alone "You KILLED him!"

"So what?!" Jetta growled back mockingly, a little annoyed that the poindexter had gotten in a lucky shot, if Sander and Thabian ever learned ofthis she'd be in for a right ribbing for weeks to come "He had no call butting into lycanthrope business!"

"You…" Keitaro ground out, Cheetah staring at the normally gentle doofus they'd picked up in brazil in surprise as he advanced on the smirking lycan with anger, and something far WORSE, mixed in with his scent "You…!"

His eyes shot up, and Jetta, despite all her years as a warrior, despite being the best of her clan and one of the natural predators of the world, despite facing down bigger, more challenging opponents both magical and natural, stumbled backwards in fear at the primal fury in the bespectacled man's eyes as Star Platinum surged towards her, fists a blur.

"ANIMAL!!!!!!"

"ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-!!!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Urashima Haruka froze, her cigarette dropping from numb lips as she gripped the counter of her teashop to steady herself, her breath ragged and sweat dropping down her forehead.

'Oh…oh hell!' she breathed, trying to fight down the bile in her throat as she fought to keep her feet under her. Fortunately the teahouse was closed, business had been slow that day, so there was no one around to watch the normally reserved Haruka in the state she was in. 'It's too early!' she gasped, removing her hand from her mouth and gaping at the blood that had spilt there 'He's not ready…dear Kami-sama he's still too young!'

Across town, in the back of a limousine, Kanako could only watch on in alarm as Granny Hina doubled over, her eyes wide and bulging as she clutched at her heart, seemingly suffering from a heart attack. "Get us to a hospital!" the lolita ordered the driver, only for Hinata to put her Cane through the glass screen.

"BELAY THAT ORDER!" the matriarch snapped, her breath steadying as she seemingly calmed down "I'm fine…just a little shock that's all." She assured her adoptive granddaughter and apprentice, before turning to eye the understandably nervous driver "Take me to the inn." She ordered, pulling her cane from the divider and resting her hands on it, admittedly a little heavier than she normally would.

'Dammit! Of all the times for him to tap into it!' she cursed, gripping the cane tightly, a dribble of blood creeping from the edge of her mouth, Kanako unable to see it from her side 'Kei-chan, you have to hold it off!'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Safe in her workroom, Tanya watched on in horror as the nerd she'd discounted as the mage's tag-along unleashed the mother of all beat downs on the female werewolf.

It couldn't even be described as a fight, the man's summon, golem, whatever the hell it was, had merely dug into the startled lycan with both fists, the sound of pulping muscle and breaking bones audible even with the sound turned low on her crystal ball. Jetta tried to put up a defense, raising her arms to protect her face, only for them to be grabbed, and twisted with a ferocity that almost tore them from their sockets, the summon's free hand ramming into her face, cutting off her howl of agony.

And still the beating continued, even after the Lycan had stopped striking back, even after she'd dropped all forms of resistance, simply lying there like a lump of meat as the fists continued to fall, her howls of agony becoming pleas for mercy, for time-outs, for him to stop, dear god stop…

'He's a monster…!' the priestess trembled, covering her mouth in horror as, secured in a birdcage overhead, Pojo cried out for his mother, unaware that the woman was inches away from never seeing him again 'I…oh god…I have to do something!'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keitaro couldn't see anything beyond the red haze, he couldn't feel anything either. But he could HEAR, and that was all he needed to find Jetta, to keep on her, to pound Dr. Diggers' murderer off the face of the earth. Every once and a while her screams would die down, he'd frown, focus harder, and the screaming would pick up again. Not that her words registered, he was so far gone into the red he couldn't make out what was said, all that mattered was that the murdering bitch **suffered.**

A pair of arms wrapped around him from behind, pulling him back despite the thrashing of his limbs. He whipped his head round, glaring spitfire at the one who DARED to impede him in his vengeance, only to blink as Brittany's tear stained face was burned into his memory. "Stop it Keitaro!" she begged, her voice choked, almost desperate in it's urging, "Oh God, LOOK at yourself! Look what you're doing!"

Keitaro blinked, the red dieing away, confusion lining his face as he finally registered the numbness of his hands, raising them to his face, only to pale at the sight before him.

Blood…so much blood. His hands were literally stained with the stuff. It was HIS blood too, his knuckles having pulped themselves for some reason, large, angry welts and tears lining the back of his hands as he stared at them in disbelief. His left thumb and right pinky weren't responding, and the others were trembling, either from blood loss or the pain he didn't know.

"What…?" he stammered, staring at his mutilated hands, only for a whimper from floor level to catch his attention, his eyes widening as he caught sight of the source "…oh god no…"

Jetta lay there, not the proud, lycan warrior, not the terrifying hunter that had plagued him in his nightmares for so long. She lay there, battered and broken, slumped against the wall on legs that had collapsed, her arms broken and useless. The Lycan's fur was spattered with red, bone fragments jutted out from her arms and ribs from blows that had left the massive bruises that were visible beneath her fur. Her head was lowered against her chest, but even so he could tell her face had suffered similar treatment, the cheeks swollen and blood trailing from her temple, covering one side of her face.

"…srry…" the lycan choked out, coughing as she did so, "Srry…ples…stop…" another round of coughs "gi ba…Pojo…ples…ples…m'baby…ples…"

Keitaro staggered as if he'd been struck, looking from his bloody, ruined hands to the battered werewolf, bile rising up his throat as he stammered incoherently "I…I didn't…I didn't mean to…!" his cheeks filled and he hunched over, collapsing to his knees as his stomach emptied itself, the sound echoing through the chamber as Cheetah looked on in horror.

"Jetta!" an enraged voice roared out, even as the male werewolf raced out of the shadows, Tanya's spell having called him from their den. The mass of muscle's face was set in a primal snarl, his normally calm nature flying out the window as he looked between the battered form of his wife and Were-cheetah and her human companion "You will die slow…" he growled, advancing on the duo with murder in his eyes, only to pull up short as a bolt of aura magic blasted past.

"I suggest you calm yourself my friend…" a familiar voice cautioned, Cheetah and Keitaro's eyes widening as they turned in the direction of the bolt to see Dr. Diggers, the massive rend in his body slowly stitching itself back together "We're being played against one another by a third party. One, it appears, that would like nothing more than to play off your racial prejudice for my daughter."

Thabian growled, looking towards the arch-mage warily, knowing from his scent, and the fact he was still alive despite being ripped nearly in half, that fighting him would NOT be in his favor, especially not with Jetta in the state she was in.

"Dr…Diggers?" Keitaro stammered, looking at the mutilated mage in disbelief, wondering if they'd somehow been saved by a ghost, only for the sad, understanding look in the mage's eyes to put those thoughts aside.

"I'm fine Keitaro…" Theodore assured the distraught Ronin, his wound healing right up as he stepped towards the man, kneeling next to him and putting a hand on his shoulder "I'm sorry to have worried you so, perhaps I would have been better coming alone after all..."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keitaro felt his throat close and he looked away, feeling bile rise in his throat again as he clenched his fists 'Dammit! I screw everything up!' he all but screamed 'Not only do I let Dr. Diggers down but Cheetah-san…'

"Brittany, could you stay with Keitaro for a few minutes?" Dr. Diggers asked, looking at his daughter with a concerned expression "I think he needs a little…pick me up, while I see to miss Jetta's injuries."

Cheetah blinked, looking on as her father moved over towards Jetta, Thabian crouching next to his wife with a concerned expression on his face as the Archmage went to work healing her battered body. Turning her gaze back to Keitaro, she found the Ronin on all fours, looking for all the world like a puppy in the rain, and felt her fear from earlier melt right away.

"Hey…c'mon Kei…" she tried, shaking his shoulder gingerly, but consolingly, only to be ignored "You probably just freaked out right now…it's not your fault you've never been in a real fight before…"

Still the Ronin refused to answer, Brittany frowning as she tried to think up a way to get through to him, deciding to screw the drama and go with what worked.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thabian blinked as the were-cat rammed her fist so hard into the back of the human's head his face was buried into the floor of the cave, a bead of sweat slipping down his skull, as well as the cat's father, who paused in his ministrations to gape at the girl.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You awake now?" Cheetah asked, looking down at the Ronin as he lay there, twitching slightly with smoke trailing out of his head, his eyes little black puddles "You stopped thinking about crap yet?" she raised her fist "I can do it again if you need another one."

"I'm good!" Keitaro stammered fearfully, backing away slightly on all fours, waving his hand before him defensively as he did so, only to blink as Cheetah smirked, bending over at the waist to look him in the eyes.

"Good, because what happened back there wasn't your fault." She assured him, "Hell if you hadn't beaten me to it, I'd have been the one that had to be pulled back." She smirked at the man "And I don't think you'd have the nerve to try and stop me either."

Keitaro blinked at her, trying to visualize pulling a rampaging Cheetah off an equally dangerous Werewolf and shivering at the mere thought. Immortality or no, he wouldn't have gotten involved in that without the goddamned Macross backing him up!

"So don't fret it, alright?" Cheetah stated, straightening up and offering the Ronin a hand, a smirk on her face "But don't go getting any bright ideas, Gina's the designated damsel in distress, not me!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Haruka sighed, the icy fingers digging into her stomach fading away to nothing, earning a sigh of relief from the Urashima woman. "I'm getting to old for this shit…" she muttered, snorting self mockingly as she did so "Bet the old bat had a heart attack."

"Not just yet, Haruka-chan." Hinata called out, Haruka whipping round to see her Grandmother standing in the doorway, looking solemn "Though I'll feel lots better once Keitaro's back where he belongs."

'Under your thumb, right?' Haruka muttered treacherously, honestly wishing that Keitaro managed to remain free just a little longer. True the fact he was missing concerned her, but anything was better than whatever plans the old bat had cooked up for him. 'Just stay safe Keitaro…' she prayed, wishing only the best for her little cousin as Hinata slowly made her way over to one of the booths 'At least for now, you're free.'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And that should do it for now.

Sorry if it's a bit shorter than you'd have liked, but it's the best I can do.

Just what is the dar secret of the Urashima bloodline? And why does Keitaro tapping into it make even Granny Hina nervous?

Will Jetta and Thabian forgive Keitaro for his transgressions? Or will they be adding Ronin to their diet?

Find out next time!

And for those who asked: Stand Stats!

Stand: Star Platinum

User: Urashima Keitaro

Power: A Speed: A Range:

Staying: A Precision: A Learning: C

1- Faster than speed of light.

2- Possesses Machinelike accuracy and precision.

3- Capable of stopping time for up to 5 seconds (Human Limit...so what can Kei manage...^_^...?)

A: Very Good B: Good C: Average D: Bad E: Poor

Power= Attack (Star Platinum can smash through diamonds the size of boulders and hurl buildings at people, nuff said.)

Speed= Speed of Stand. (Faster than speed of light...plus Time Stop, though Keitaro doesn't know about this yet)

Range= How far stand can travel from body for it'sability to remain effective. (Star Platinum can fight effectively up to 3m from Kei's body, after that it get's progressively weaker.)

Staying= How long a Stand's effect lasts/stays. (Anything pummeled by Star Platinum REMAINS pummeled yo!)

Precision= How accurate a Stand's attacks ability are (Star Platinum, in cannon, saw a fly in the shadow of a picture with no light in the background.)

Learning= How much a Stand can develop, this is generally reliant on the user (So for Jotaro, it would've been A, whereas for Keitaro, it's about average learing rate, as he's no genius.)

Hope that clears up some things!

R&R folks!

* * *


	11. Chapter 11

Kudos to inuboy86, who's message requesting an update finally got me off my ass.

Several people have commented that Keitaro's rampage was like Riot of Blood or Orochi power, truth be told I hadn't considered the similarities, as I'm not so familliar with KOF, except for Geese Howard and his ridiculously overpowered boss combos...

Halibel: You're just weak.

Kyugan: Like he hasn't said that every time...and don't get me started on that nightmare Geese version...but enough bout how I suck at life, on with the show!

* * *

Chapter 11.

Theodore Diggers smiled at his daughter as she helped their bespectacled friend to his feet, noting with relief that the boy's aura had lost the sickening green and murderous red it had exhibited a few seconds ago and regained it's natural gentle gold.

As an aura mage, he could tell a lot about people by their auras, their mood, their profession, even their personality. Which is why he consented to allow Keitaro to live with Gina and Brittany unsupervised, the man's aura showed that he was as honorable and trustworthy as one could be without sprouting wings and a halo. A sharp contrast to his OTHER relatives.

'To think one of HER offspring could turn out so well.' The Archmage muttered, having had a few run-in's with the Ronin's grandmother over the years. One didn't go about solving paranormal mysteries and averting disasters without hearing of the infamous Urashima family somewhere along the line after all. More specifically, the rumours of the dark power certain members carried in their blood.

Still, thus far Keitaro had exhibited nothing but good intentions in his dealings with Theodore's family, even that last outburst, clearly brought on by trauma and emotional duress, had been in the mage's interest…sort of.

'I'll need to teach him some meditation techniques.' Theodore deduced, adding the finishing touches to Jetta's treatment, her healing factor could cover the rest ' That Stand of his is particularly violent as it is…the last thing he needs is having to reign it and THAT in at the same time.'

"Ow…" Jetta moaned, the battered female lycanthrope trying to stand, only to stumble as her legs trembled like a newborn foal's, sending her staggering into the arms of her husband "What…what hit me?"

"I warned you not to go off by yourself Jetta!" Thabian chastised his mate, though his arms around her were gentle, holding her close to him rather than chastising her "All of this could have been avoided were it not for your temper!"

"But…she took Pojo!" Jetta insisted, pointing at a confused Brittany, who merely shrugged as Keitaro looked to her in confusion "And that mage, clearly he's the one that helped her infiltrate our lair!"

"I keep telling you I don't know anything about your son!" Cheetah insisted, getting in the equally irate werewolf's face, heedless of Thabian's warning growls in her anger "And my dad isn't the type of guy that goes around kidnapping people!"

"True," Theodore agreed, separating the two females by interposing himself between them, shooting a warning look towards his daughter to calm down "Before coming here, Keitaro and myself encountered 'Brittany' in the Kryn palace, but her aura gave her away as an imposter." He frowned "I didn't glean enough from her mind to learn her identity, but what I DID learn was that she had sent both of you to the catacombs beneath her tower, no doubt to pit you against one another."

"But who'd do such a thing?" Keitaro wondered, looking sick to his stomach at the idea of using a mother's love in such a way, drawing a suspicious look from Jetta "How could anyone do that to a child?! What did Jetta-san and Thabian-san do to deserve this?!"

"Keitaro's got a point." Brittany agreed, crossing her arms angrily under her bosom, as Jetta and Thabian gaped at the human who'd, not two seconds ago, been pummeling Jetta into a pulp "I mean I can accept someone coming after me, Gina and I've made a few enemies out there. But last I checked you two'd never set foot outside the garden, so who could want to put you through this?"

"Doubtless someone who hates you enough not to care who else they antagonize." Thabian reasoned, releasing his wife as he held his chin in thought, shooting Keitaro an evaluating look as he did so. Jetta, growling at Cheetah from her mate's side, sent wary looks towards the bespectacled Ronin as well, her humiliation at being thrashed so easily offset by the concern in his eyes and the honest emotion in his face.

"This is getting us nowhere." Dr. Diggers stated, drawing all eyes back to him "As a parent, I can relate to your pain, Thabian, Jetta." He nodded at the wolves, his features gentle "The mere thought of using a child as a tool disgusts me utterly, even if it isn't one of my own." He turned to them all, eyes glowing ominously "I propose a truce until we rescue little Pojo and bring our 'host' to rights for this charade." He frowned "Unfortunately, she's seen ahead enough to cast wards that prevent me from calling upon my higher magic, like teleportation, without putting young Pojo at risk, so we must traverse these caverns by foot."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Up in her lair, high priestess Tanya of the Kryn could only seethe at this latest predicament. Not only was the Skank (cheetah) still alive, but the meddlesome mage (Dr. Diggers) had convinced the two fleabags (Jetta and Thabian) to work with them to get to her. 'Then there's that…Monster!' she shivered, recalling the cold, merciless eyes of the young man she'd brushed off as a nerd, a tag-a-long sidekick, the 'extra' type that usually got killed somewhere along the line and no-one made a fuss about.

That had changed the second he'd torn into the werewolf, one of the finest fighters she'd seen, like she was a puppy that had done a nasty on the carpet.

'I could've sworn his eyes were gold then…' she muttered, eyeing the bespectacled man warily through her crystal ball, only to see his chocolate orbs for what they were 'Hm…must've been a trick of the light…' she reasoned, leaning back on her chair with a sigh, giving an order to her marble golem to set up the 'welcome mat' for her victims, before shooting a sniffling Pojo a glare "What're YOU staring at?" she demanded, only to blanch as the were-pup crossed it's eyes and let out a large, pungent smell from it's wrappings "Oh…oh GOD! What the hell have they been feeding you?!"

Needless to say, Tanya was too busy to spy on her 'guests' with her crystal ball for some time.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"O-RAAA!"

A blow from Star platinum punched a hole right through the catacombs and into what appeared to be a more man-made structure, namely the golden tiled walls and floors that could only be found in a Kryn-made dwelling. "We're through!' Keitaro yelled back, pulling himself up and offering a hand to Thabian, who ignored it and pulled himself through the hole with a grunt, before reaching in to help Jetta through.

"-Sniff- smells like the man-cat's people were here." The male lycanthrope noted, a suspicious scowl on his face as he recalled Stripe's scent from the last time they'd met "One of them anyway…a female." He turned to look at Dr Diggers, who had levitated himself out of the hole "Is there any way to tell where we are, mage?"

"There is indeed Thabian." Theodore assured the large warrior, touching down gently and placing his hands to his head "I can observe the mystic energies of the tower to compose a map in my mind…it shouldn't take a moment."

Keitaro, intrigued yet again by the prowess of Gina's father, blinked as Cheetah let out an enraged yelp, looking round to see she and Jetta had broken into another argument, the tenth in as many minutes. "Ano…don't you think you should stop?" he asked, drawing enraged looks from the two females that made him flinch "It's just…whoever's got Pojo-kun could be watching us right now…"

Jetta growled, but said nothing, taking a step away from Cheetah, pointedly not looking at the were-cat as she leant against the wall. While she didn't like the fact the bespectacled man had beaten her so soundly, she couldn't refute his logic…and his scent showed he was quite honest in his desire to rescue Pojo. The sound of footsteps caused her to looked up to see him coming towards her, she bared her teeth and let out a warning growl, stopping him at least five feet away. "What is it, human?" she demanded, eyeing him warily in case he pulled his spirit on her again.

She didn't expect him to bow at the waist, his neck wide open, well within reach for her to snap it like a twig.

"I'm sorry, Jetta-san." Keitaro offered, his tone the epitome of humbleness, "I…when I saw Dr. Diggers go down…the blood, the way you acted so callous about it…I just…snapped." He bowed lower, if that was even possible without bending his knees "I know that doesn't excuse what I did to you, I just…had I known you were doing this for your son, against your will…" he trembled slightly "If…if there's anything I can do, to set things right…just let me know." He bowed lower "I'm really, truly sorry."

Jetta honestly didn't know what to say. The sight of the young man bowing to her, his voice laden with so much sorrow and regret, sparked something in her fledgling instincts as a mother. She wanted nothing more than to pat him on the head like she'd do with Pojo, to croon in his ear and let him know it was all right.

For the fleetest of moments, she saw Pojo's face superimposed over Keitaro's, the man's chocolate brown eyes holding the same innocence as her infant son's. Then the reality of the situation came to her and she shook herself, turning away with a flush on her cheeks that only Thabian and Dr Diggers noticed "A-apology accepted." She muttered, crossing her arms and turning away from the Ronin "Just help me get my baby back and we'll call it quits."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Brittany shook her head at the Ronin's dramatics, calling him a drama queen, much to Keitaro's displeasure, Thabian was regarding the young man with a calculating expression in his eyes.

While Jetta, as the eldest of her bloodline, was leader of their clan of werewolves, Thabian was notably wiser and stronger than her, so much so that there was much talk that he should challenge her for leadership. Not that he would, he had been friends with Jetta when they were pups, and had fought beside her during the wars. He might be her better in regards to wisdom and strength, but nobody loved their clan, had as much PRIDE in their clan, as Jetta did. So he stood at her side, providing wisdom to temper her decisions, a foundation for her to stand on.

As such, he understood the full importance of Keitaro's apology, even if the Ronin himself didn't. Jetta was a warrior, true, but she was also a mother, and leader of the entire Werewolf clan. By attacking her, admittedly out of anger, Keitaro could have provoked a retaliatory strike against anyone associated with him. But he'd bared his neck to her in submission, without a worry for himself, and honestly apologized for his transgressions, even going so far as to offer his servitude to atone.

In Thabian's eyes, this more than anything proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Brittany was NOT the one to kidnap their child. He could not imagine someone like Keitaro associating with kidnappers, at least not knowingly, and the mere fact that Dr. Diggers had healed Jetta, rather than finishing them both off while he had the chance proved HIS innocence too. Racial prejudice and war-memories aside, he and Jetta had nothing against Brittany either…but some scars ran far too deep to be forgotten.

The group was shaken from their silence by a rumbling in the floor, turning as one to gape as the golden floors morphed, golems rising from all sides, their eyes glowing with magical light. "We got company!" Thabian snarled, lashing out at one of the creatures and cursing as he damn near shattered his hands "DAMN! What are these things made of?!"

"HALP!" Keitaro yelped, thrashing around desperately as one of the golems dragged him underground, Star Platinum's blows to it's skull doing nothing more than driving it into the ground faster, taking the Ronin with it.

"Hmm…they're forged from enchanted rock…" Dr, Diggers noted, his eyes glowing with power as he read the ethereal flow of energy from their assailants "Impervious to harm…" his eyes flashed with power "unless I destroy the enchantment!"

Thabian grunted, lashing out just as the Archmage finished his spell, grinning ferally as his opponent shattered under his blow "It worked! They're no longer invulnerable!"

"ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-!!! Star Platinum bellowed, lashing out at the ground, shattering everything in the path of it's fist as it pulled it's master from the grip of the destroyed golem, taking out a few that had snuck up around the Ronin in the process.

"Atta boy Keitaro!" Cheetah called out, grabbing one of the stragglers and hurling it at a cluster of it's comrades, taking out four in one shot as she whooped in victory "Alright! Beat that Fido!"

"With pleasure Pussycat!" Jetta snapped back, sweeping the feet out from under a golem, only to punch it straight into its fellows "There! Four-All, these things aren't so tough!"

"They don't have to be!" Theodore countered, pointing own the hallway at a group of golems that were, literally, bringing the house down, pounding away at the walls until they began to fracture.

"YOIKS!" Cheetah yelped, grabbing Keitaro by the scruff of his neck and dragging him along after her, even as she noticed Jetta squaring off against another one "Hey Jetta! HAUL ASS!"

"Haul it yourself! I'm coming!" the werewolf yelled, anoyed at being ordered around by the were-cat she still suspected of being invovled in this mess, only to yelp as a falling boulder trapped her legs under it's crushing weight "FUCK!"

"Jetta-san!" Keitaro yelled, squirming free of Cheetah's grip and dashing back down the cavern to help the stricken werewolf, much to Cheetah's horror and his own shock "Hang on! We'll get you out!"

"Just get going!" Jetta yelled, her teeth clenched in agony as she tried to pull herself out, only to collapse bonlessly on the floor, her strength giving out from the sheer weight and agony "I can't feel my legs! Go!"

"Not a chance!" Keitaro yelled, gritting his teeth as Star Platinum began lifting the massive slab of ceiling off her, even the tempermental guardian's strength seeming to have trouble with it "We're not leaving you here!"

"Just go dammit!" Jetta snarled, subconsciously switching partially into her wolf form, snapping at the Ronin to get him to go, honestly unwilling to let him get hurt despite the thrashing he'd given her earlier "Save Pojo!"

"What's the point of saving him if he loses his mother?!" Keitaro shot back, startling the werewolf with the intensity of his words, adding the strength of his own arms to his Stand's effort to raise the slab "No child should grow up without his mother! I'm not going to let Pojo go through the same thing I had to!"

Even as Jetta looked on in amazement, Star Platinum let out a loud, gut-filled 'ORAAAA-!', hoisting the gargantuan stone off her legs and HURLING it down the corridor at a pack of golems that had decided to take a crack at them. The Ronin grabbed her under the arms, wincing under her weight as he held her shoulder over his, helping her walk down the corridor at an agonizing pace.

Cheetah, at that moment, came blazing back down the tunnel like greased lightning, grabbing the Ronin under her arm and tossing Jetta over her shoulders like a sack of potatoes, before hauling spotted, shapely ass back the way she came, lunging through the exit just as Thabian released his grip on it, the tunnel collapsing behind them.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I don't freaking believe this!" Tanya muttered, actually seething in annoyance as she glared at her foe "How on earth could something so small leave something like THAT in it's diaper?!"

Pojo giggled, clapping his hands in the safety of his pouch as he watched the angry lady haul his diaper away at arms length, her free hand covering her mouth. The were-pup let out a squeal of delight as the crystal ball shined, revealing the faces of his parents, Thabian hugging Jetta in his arms despite her feeble protests.

Neither priestess or pup noticed a striped head of hair creep back up the window, a troubled Kryn prince having seen more than he'd ever wanted to see in the last few minutes.

'This situation MUST be defused.' He muttered, shocked to his core that someone he'd known for so long would let jealousy drive her to such ends 'I just need to wait for the right moment…'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"And if you EVER scare me like that again I'll wring your scrawny little neck!" Cheetah snapped, glaring down at a thoroughly chastised Keitaro with her hands on her hips, her face partially shifted to her true cheetah form in her ire.

"S-sumimasen…" the Ronin offered, looking down at the ground in embarrassment as he knelt there in the seiza position, feeling like the times his mother had pulled a riot act for his stubbornness "But I couldn't just leave Jetta-san there to die!"

"Honestly Keitaro…" Cheetah sighed, shaking her head at the Ronin's naiveté. But she just couldn't stay mad at the idiot. He was like a big scruffy puppy, the type that stared up at you from a cardboard box in the rain, you just COULDN'T stay angry at it, even after it'd chewed up your $500.00 sneakers.

"I'm afraid I agree with Brittany on this one Keitaro." Dr. Diggers stated, to the surprise of both figures "Not in the context, but regarding your recklessness. Cheetah could have easily hauled Jetta out of there without putting your life at risk as well." He smiled at the Ronin "Still, that was very brave of you."

"It was." Thabian agreed, startling the Ronin as he loomed over them, Jetta held in his arms as she rested, her healing factor at work "It takes a special type of man to come to the aid of ones he has fought in the past…I thank you."

Keitaro blushed at the sincerity in the giant wolf-man's eyes, scratching his head in embarrassment as he did so. "I…only did what I thought was right…" he muttered, looking at the ground in embarrassment "No child should be without his mother…that's my opinion."

Thabian said nothing, merely nodded and went back to seeing to his wife, Cheetah gazing after them in confusion, even as Dr. Diggers gazed down at the Ronin sadly. 'Just how deep do your scars run, Keitaro?' the Archmage wondered, not wanting to pry too deeply into the mind of one of his daughters' friends, someone he was coming to regard as one of his own and a potential student…and perhaps even something more if things played out right.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jetta awoke after a while, grumpy and protesting at Thabian's fussing, but a lot more subdued than she had been. She didn't even rise to Cheetah's quips, something that startled the were-cat a great deal, and spent a lot of time watching Keitaro's back, an action she shared with her husband, who went out of his way to make sure the Ronin didn't fall into the glaringly obvious booby-traps that littered the tunnels. Finally, after several near incidents, they came to the top of the tower, only for Dr. Diggers to pull up short.

"I sense a trap behind that door…" he muttered eyes flashing with power as he read the ethereal streams "Back up a bit…time for one of my secret weapons."

"Secret weapons?" Keitaro repeated, looking curiously at the mage as Cheetah pestered her father for details, only to blink as Thabian picked him up by the collar and deposited him gently, but firmly, next to Jetta and himself.

"When a mage tells you to step back, you do it." the giant warrior instructed, his tone oddly similar to Keitaro's old martial arts instructor, but with a more familiar ring, rather than the aloof dislike the man had exhibited.

Keitaro nodded numbly, honestly a little confused by the werewolves actions lately, they'd been at their throats not too long ago after all, only to yelp as several spectral beings, grotesque, bestial renditions of the wolves and Cheetah, tore the door off it's hinges whilst Dr. Digger's voice ordered them to rend whoever was lurking behind the door limb from limb.

"I'm not that hairy…" Jetta muttered in annoyance, a little miffed that she hadn't been allowed to do so for real, only to blink as the spectral images vaporized under the light emitted from a giant crystal embedded just inside the entryway.

"Keitaro? If you would?" Dr. Diggers asked, nodding towards several shards of stone door that had fallen near them. The Ronin blinked, before nodding, stepping away from Thabian as he summoned Star Platinum, the Stand grabbing several smaller chunks the size of bowling balls and hefted them like baseballs.

"OOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!"

The first shot smashed into the crystal like a meteor, reducing the giant, death-dealing gem to so much shattered shards and dust. The second barreled through the doorway with equal force, crashing into the marble golem that had been skulking in the shadows, knocking it off it's feet and reducing it's face to so much tile.

"HEY! Do you know how expensive those things are?!" a voice screamed from inside, the group rushing in to find an irate, but steadily growing more nervous, Tanya in the workroom, holding Pojo in her arms.

"So you're the one behind all this!" Jetta hissed, glaring at the black and white Kryn with hatred in her eyes, only Thabian's massive bulk standing between her and the priestess's throat.

"You couldn't just kill Brittany and be done with it could you?" Tanya muttered, looking annoyed "You had to try and put the dots together, had to use your brains instead of your fists. If you'd just did as you were supposed to you'd have gotten the brat back, no questions asked."

"Sorceress…" Thabian growled, a deep rumbling sound that reminded everyone else in the room that he was a Ten-Foot tall mountain of lupine muscle, impervious to virtually anything outside of magic, silver, and his own kind, and one VERY pissed off parent "I'm only going to ask you one…UNHAND my son."

Tanya stepped back, more than a little unnerved without her golem to back her up. The others she could handle, Jetta was still injured and targeting Brittany would ensure the mage was busy warding her against harm, but Thabian had enough brute force to support a collapsing tunnel, and without her Golem, which she'd attuned to feed off the Lycan's energy, she was defenseless.

"Heh…you think you've got it all figured out…" she muttered, stepping back towards the sole window in the tower "You corner me and think you can make me surrender, you forget I'm with one with the Aces!"

"I think NOT, Tanya." A familiar voice called out, the priestess whipping round to gape at the sight of her Prince standing there, along with several members of his personal guard, a disappointed expression on his handsome face "I think it's time you saw sense and surrendered."

"P-prince Stripe I-!" the priestess stammered, looking from face to unsympathetic face, her world shattering around her as she backed towards the window, clutching the wailing Pojo to her chest "I…you weren't supposed to-!"

"I never would have thought you'd sink to this level…" Primus muttered, the aged Kryn advisor to the throne shaking his head wearily "I had such high hopes for you Tanya…but this is a treason as great as pointing a blade at the prince."

"I'd never!" Tanya exclaimed, only to yelp as Jetta's clawed hands swiped at her, trying to snatch Pojo free. To the horror of all present, the wailing pup flew from his pouch, Jetta stumbling over the falling priestess, gaping in horror as her baby flew right out the window.

Time seemed to slow down, Thabian, Stripe and Cheetah moving in slow motion, hands outstretched desperately towards the falling baby, the distance seemingly too far even for Cheetah speed, for Pojo had already cleared the sill.

SOMETHING sped past them, time speeding up again as all three gaped at the lunging form of Keitaro as the Ronin hurled himself out the window, grabbing the screaming baby in his arms as he fell.

"KEITARO!" Cheetah screamed, running to the sill with a horrified Thabian at her side, the two looking down in horror, expecting the worst, only to blink, their eyes reducing to little pupils at the sheer audacity of the sight before them.

Somehow, on the way down, Keitaro's foot had gotten stuck between the fork in the branches of an old, springy tree that was seemingly growing out of the tower wall, despite the fact the tower was carved from pure gold. The Ronin was dangling there like a scruffy piñata, his face a mask of absolute terror as he gazed up at them from his perch, a giggling Pojo patting the man's cheeks as the ronin foamed at the mouth, clearly having the time of his little life with the screaming man.

"I…am never going to understand that guy…" Cheetah stated, trailing off into bemused chuckles as Keitaro's pleas for rescue rose up to her from below, Thabian merely nodding his head, unable to comprehend the bespectacled man's luck any more now than he had earlier.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Here you go Thabian." Dr. Diggers instructed, handing the larger werewolf a little remote control "Apparently Tanya stole a copy of my Gina's light-gate generator, most likely the reason she was able to find your home." He nodded as the wolf man looked it over "It should take you home, and to ensure this doesn't happen again, I'll ask Gina to remove the coordinates from the original."

"Cheetah…" Jetta called out, looking up from cuddling her baby, Pojo's joyous squeals making her appear years younger "I owe you and yours so much…if you and your family hadn't helped Thabian and I…" she lowered her head in a modest bow "Call on us if ever you are in need, for we are enemies no longer."

Thabian nodded his assent, before turning to regard Keitaro with kind eyes "The same goes for you, Keitaro." He stated, startling the Ronin with the formality in his tone "Twice now you have come to the aid of my family, twice at personal risk to your own life." He held up a hand as Keitaro made as if to protest "Any debt you feel you owe us is moot, if anything, Jetta and I owe you just as much as we owe Cheetah…" he bowed to the Ronin "You have my thanks, young one."

"Mine too…" Jetta offered, an honest smile on her face as she turned to regard the young man "I'd have lost Pojo today if you hadn't been here…twice now you kept that from happening." She smiled at the Ronin as Pojo reached out to him, squealing in that adorable manner babies could pull off "Take care of yourself, young pup…" she smirked playfully "try not to jump out any more windows."

"Well I'll be…" Cheetah muttered, a pleased smile on her face as the wolves departed for their home. She'd never thought she'd see the day she and JETTA, of all people, became friends!

"You have my utmost congratulations Brittany, and you Keitaro." Dr. Diggers complimented, beaming proudly at the two with his hands clasped behind his back "You've achieved the ultimate victory: Turning a deadly enemy into a valuable ally."

Keitaro chuckled and scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed to no end by the praise, even as Cheetah started snuggling up to an embarrassed Stripe. "By the way, what are we going to do about Tanya-san?" the Ronin asked the mage.

"Well…" Dr. Diggers muttered, "I HAD thought of transporting her to the mage's council to face trial, I even imprisoned her in the cage she held young Pojo in." he looked behind him, quirking an eyebrow at the hook that had once supported Pojo's cage "But as you can see, the cage has gone."

"You think she had some magic left?" Stripe asked, concern for his beloved should the disgraced priestess strike again, only for Dr. Diggers to smile cryptically to himself.

"Perhaps…" the mage allotted, a knowing look creeping onto his face "but I think it more likely that the werewolves have obtained a very…INTERESTING pet for their den." He chuckled at the look on the younger folks' faces, before clearing his throat "Come now Keitaro, " he ordered, smiling at his daughter at her exclusion "Let's be heading back home before Gina gets worried about us." He nodded to Stripe, a look of understanding passing between the two men "Farewell, Lord Stripe, and I apologize most heartily for the trouble. Please take good care of Brittany while she's here."

Keitaro sighed in relief as he began to fade out, waving cheerfully in response to Cheetah and Stripe's farewells, wanting nothing more than to slip into a nice, soft bed after this latest adventure, wondering what Gina had been up to.

'Probably having the time of her life.' The Ronin reasoned, recalling her chatting to a giggling Brianna about some old tale or other.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gina swallowed nervously, standing back to back with Penny as they stared down the barrels of air-force issue handguns and rifles, the stern looking men and women in flight suits glaring at them from behind the crosshairs. "This is all your fault." The two rivals muttered to one another, even as the sound of hammers cocking back filled the air.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gee, ain't I a stinker?

Just to make things clear to some people: Lycanthropes will NOT recieve Stands, Brianna, being a composite of Brittany and Gina, does NOT qualify as a Lycanthrope, and so qualifies as a stand user.

Some of you seem to have already guessed as to the Stands I've bequeathed them, and Yes, Grave Digger will be recieving a Stand of her own, though it may be one of the Boss Stands from the series, as she's pretty much a boss character herself.

Here's Dr. Diggers' Stand!

Stand: Hermit Purple

User: Dr. Theodore Diggers

Power: D Speed: C Range: C

Staying: A Precision: D Learning: C

1- Manifests as a tangle of thorny vines that double as both a weapon and defense. Vines can also be used to rappel across long distances. (Like Spider-Man ^_^)

2- Enhances user's telapathic abilities, enabling them to sense and display far off events and thoughts on various forms of media, such as television or even photos. (This tends to damage machinery though...)

3- Capable of amplifying the effects of Aura Magic by channeling spells through the vines.

A: Very Good B: Good C: Average D: Bad E: Poor

And there you have it, Doctor Digger's Stand, which really should have been introduced first, but it took forever to pull up the stats.

Anyways, I had originally intended Hermit Purple to go to Gina, but figured that she deserved something with a little more attack power. Dr Diggers, however, is the most powerful Aura Mage on earth, and possibly anywhere, and seemed to click with the whole, 'Wise Teacher' motif.

I didn't hurt that his outfit from when he was younger (AKA the Indiana get-up he wore when he found Brittany) reminded me heavily of Joseph Joestar, whose Series 3 appearance was heavily influenced by Indianna Jones as well.

As to his learning, Joseph, even in his youth, had always been a slacker at heart, so even though he'd only awokened his Stand ability, his Learning was a D or E rank because he never pushed himself if he didn't have to.

I gave Dr. Diggers a C-rank because one: He's the type that'll examine all facets of something interesting until he knows it better than his own hand, and two: Because while Gina might not have inherrited his magical skill, she most certainly got her brains from her father, who even as a youth was considered a magical prodigy.

Not that I'm implying Julia Diggers is stupid. Far from it, she's possibly the only person, other than Mumsy Brigand, that can bring the good Doctor to heel with simply a well placed word or glare. It's simply that one doesn't become an Archmage without utilizing some serious brain power.

As it is, review to see what hijinks Gina's gotten herself into THIS time!

* * *


	12. Chapter 12

Kudos, once more, to inuboy86 for reminding me to post this update. I should hire you full time man.

Expect a few surprises this time round, though you won't get any spoilers from ME!

* * *

Chapter 12.

It had all started with a vid-call from Penny, not long after Keitaro and Dr. Diggers had gone off in search of Cheetah and the following adventure in the cavern beneath El Dorado.

Gina had been sitting in the lab reminiscing with Brianna and Genn, flushing scarlet as her sister recounted tale after embarrassing tale of Gina's 'accidents' in the field for the Rakshasa's ears. The blonde scientist had actually felt a bit relieved to be called away by her video-phone, though the sight of Penny smiling smugly back at her had quickly soured THAT.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You remember those Atlantean's we rescued a while back?" Penny asked, a smug little smile on her face as she spoke "Well they contacted Ace and let him know they have our reward ready to go."

"Hmm…" Gina muttered, narrowing her baby blues at the screen "And why are you telling me this?" she asked, a little suspicious of her rivals motives "I figured you'd be all for taking all the loot for yourself."

"Says the pot to the kettle." Penny shot back, frowning slightly before sighing "But you have a point, it's just Ace made me promise to tell you before we leave for Atlantis."

"Alright-alright…" Gina sighed, shaking her head. At the very least she could trust Ace not to screw her over…though the idea had a certain appeal, "What time to I have to be at the airport?"

"Pretty soon." Penny replied, her smug smirk growing smugger by the second as the sound of engines started up in the background "We're leaving in TEN MINUTES!"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Penny's little act of subterfuge aside, for Gina was used to her rival's underhanded tactics, the ride to the airport in the Gina-Mobile MKII was fairly smooth, especially with the base stickers to get her past security. Even the fact that Ace's plane had already taken off was not a problem for our blonde adventurer, a simple combination of her built in teleporter and computer coordination landing the Gina-mobile smack-dab in the middle of Ace's, fortunately spacious, cargo bay.

So Gina had sat back, peeking in on the pilot and her rival as they conversed, quietly plotting her revenge on Penny for trying to pull a fast one, her eyes glinting with mischief as she decided to give Penny's new Mini-sub the 'gremlin' treatment.

Of course, the sound of gunfire and photon torpedoes slamming into one of the engines quickly put a monkey wrench into the flight plan.

"Oooooh boy…this doesn't look good…" Gina muttered, listening in as Ace was forced to land his bird on the wing of a giant aircraft that was apparently labeled 'Gull Base'. "Definitely not good." She muttered, ducking behind some crates as the hanger door opened, Ace stepping out to confront the crew while a concerned Penny hung back to avoid a hostage situation…her short-shorts providing a perfect target.

It was childish, Gina would admit, stemming from years of bitter rivalry and professional jealousy, and quite frankly, this was not the time OR place to even the score. But that last one she'd gotten in El Dorado had HURT dammit, and Penny had it coming to her after what she'd tried to pull.

So one Melvin later, she and Penny were dragged out of the aircraft at gunpoint, the dark-skinned woman seething as she tried to tuck her underwear back into place, unaware of the view she was providing her 'escort.'

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Alright Gold Digger…" Penny muttered, standing next to her rival with her arms crossed as they watched Ace head off to be debriefed by that 'Dark Bird' woman on the upcoming dogfight "How in the hell did you sneak aboard Ace's C-141…and how do I disarm the BOMB you hooked up to my sub's super charger?"

"I teleported." Gina replied cryptically, smirking at her rival in a way she KNEW drove the woman up the wall "And just cut the Red wire first, then the Blue one."

Penny eyed the grinning blonde suspiciously, her eyebrow quirked "You DO know I could sue your ass if those instructions are wrong right? You left your fingerprints all over the timer."

"Blue THEN Red." Gina grumbled, pouting at being caught out so soon, at least on the surface. The bomb had been a decoy after all, she'd had plenty of times to…fiddle, with the sub's mechanisms before hand.

""Now about the duel…" Penny muttered, sighing deeply "Look, we both know we can't stand one another…but Kevin's really worried about both of us."

Gina frowned at Penny's using of Ace's real name but let it slide, she wasn't one to break up a couple out of spite. "I get what your saying, last thing we need is Ace worrying about us and getting a bullet in the back." She looked up "Whadd'ya say we put our feud on hold for a while…for Ace?"

"Anything for Kevin." Penny shot back, the two slapping hands over it even as Ace returned, along with Dark Bird and two of her crew, the accented woman revealing them to be her wingmen.

"Oh don't worry dere Ace, yoze get some too." She assured the suspicious pilot, even as two hulking figures sidled up behind him, their faces lined with dark amusement "Red Club and Killah…Dey'll take REAL good care O'ya!" she smirked at Ace's sarcastic muttering "An' wit DAT taken care of, we choose weapons!"

Ace and the girls whistled, watching as his selection was brought up onto the runway, an A-4ku Skyhawk, an F-14c Tomcat and an MIG-21bis NATO-Fishbed, all top machines in their respective countries and in peak condition if the look in Ace's eyes were any indication.

Of course, his admiration for Dark Bird's sportsmanship turned to outright contempt as she revealed SHE and her goon squad would be flying in 3rd & 4th generation tactical fighters.

"Sunnuva-! This is WACK!" Ace cursed, slapping a palm over his eyes as the crooked mercenary pilot went to get ready, her sniggers carrying on the breeze "Bad enough I'm going up against five Veteran ELITE pilots, but I'll be doing it in a ride they could shoot into damned bacon bits!"

"I'd recommend the F-14c." Penny suggested, looking the, admittedly well maintained, American fighter over with an appraising eye "Even if you only have two sidewinders, it's still outshines the other two."

"Was thinkin' the same thing." Ace muttered "Problem is, I need a W.O for that one. Either of you two know how to operate a Hughes AWG-9 Radar unit?" at Penny's affirmation he turned to Gina "Right, Gina, soon as the fight starts you head down to Atlantis and wait for us." He held up a hand at her protest "I know you're worried but the last thing I need is them taking you hostage." He smirked "Besides, these guys might be hot shit in the air, but I'll bet they don't do so well in the water."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gina had looked troubled, but eventually relented to Ace's request, setting off in the Gina mobile for Atlantis after exchanging a few parting words with her friends, Leaving Ace and Penny to prep for the dogfight.

Not ten minutes into it though, with Red Club jumping the gun on the BLAZINGLY obvious backstab, and Ace was already pulling out the best of his repertoire to put the treacherous wingmen in their place, in this case smack dap in the middle of the Atlantic.

Of course Dark Bird wasn't one to let setbacks keep her from her objectives for long, the crooked aviator came blazing in, Frenchie and Bull Dog sweeping in from the right, only for Ace to keep slipping out of their targeting crosshairs, and view, by seconds.

"Bull Dog to Dark Bird!" the wingman yelled over the intercom "Break high and Left! Ace stopped Jinking and is breaking into your turn radius! I'll pull a lag-roll to improve laser deflection!"

"That's what YOU think buddy." Ace snorted, a smug smirk plastered across his face as he turned on his Cassette player, nodding his head to the beat of 'WHOOP DERIT-IZ!' even as he lead the annoyed wingman into an obvious trap, cackling as he watched Frenchie's missiles nearly blast the poor schmuck out of the air. What followed next was a super sonic game of tag, as Frenchie and Dark Bird tried to get a lock on Ace's jet, only for him to loop around, apparently chasing one, when actually targeting the other, shooting out Frenchie's engines and sending the distraught jet into the ocean. Even Bulldog launching a proton torpedo at the jet proved no threat, Ace turning his evasive maneuver into a chance to clip Dark Bird's wings, so to speak.

It was only after dunking Bull Dog in the briny deep, losing sight of Dark Bird for a few precious seconds, that things begin to get difficult.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ace let out a curse as Dark Bird's Kinetic Energy Rocket's slammed into his wing. He'd forgotten the merc's F-13 could fire the damn things, and it was going to cost him.

"Should we bail?" Penny asked, quite frankly preferring the idea. Just because the engine's explosion hadn't caused a chain reaction in th jet, didn't mean one wasn't about to happen.

"Naw, I still got one good engine!" Ace assured her, gritting his teeth as he leveled the injured bird into the air "Hydraulics are shot on the right tho…"

"I got worse news!" Penny relayed, looking over her flashing display monitor in growing alarm "Our last sidewinder won't launch! Dumping it's all we can do!"

"No problem!" Ace assured her, pulling up sharply, or as sharply as he dared to with a wing hanging on by a thread and a prayer, the jet rolling as they climbed higher into the stratosphere, Dark Bird on their tail, cackling like the wicked witch of the west all the while.

"I don' think so Acey-boy!" the Brooklyn accented merc countered, firing her Vulcan cannons at her opponent, forcing Ace to veer away or take hot lead to the rear "I ain't givin youse time ta breath!"

'Sh*T!' Ace cursed, swerving out of the path of another KEM, bullets peppering his wing like hail as Dark Bird cackled in apparent victory 'How in the hell do I get outta this one? Only one engine, a missile that won't launch, and Dark Bird breathing down my neck like the IRS on tax day!' he chuckled shakily 'Man, times like this I almost wish I believed in the cavalry.' He frowned 'But you're not getting me without a fight Bird!'

Penny blinked, looking up as something whipped past the cockpit of their jet, so small and fast that she couldn't register it's shape before it was out of sight.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'So predictable…' Dark Bird scoffed, watching Ace attempt a roll to get t her flank 'But I'm better armed and youse's runnin' on fumes.' She smirked as she armed another KEM "Here's lookin' at youse…ACE!"

Gunfire sounded, peppering her hull and screwing up her concentration, the merc looking around in alarm, only to blink as her radar showed nothing on screen but Ace's fighter, which was still straggling in her crosshairs. Before she could do anything however, another salvo emptied itself into the glass of her cockpit, the merc yelling and barrel-rolling out of the line of fire, allowing Ace and Penny to take the lead.

"What da hell's going on down dere?!" Dark Bird snapped over her intercom to Gull-base, ready to call in for backup if Ace somehow managed to invite some friends over "who da heck's up here wit us!?"

"Ma'am?" A confused crewmember reported, his voice riddled with uncertainty "There's no-one else out there, our instruments show no aircraft in the battle zone save yours and Ace."

"Den Who da hell's shootin' at me-!?" Dark Bird snapped, only to shriek as bullet's penetrated the cockpit, smashing into her radio and cutting her off from base, her eyes wide with alarm as she ignored the instruments and relied on her peepers. Even the most advanced stealth craft couldn't be hidden from sight in the middle of the day, even moving in the clouds left tells to an experienced merc.

But the sudden appearance of a shadow overhead, her eyes widening as the beeping of her proximity alarm finally registered, barely managing to pull the eject lever on her seat before Ace's dumped sidewinder crashed into her cockpit, the explosion nearly knocking her out cold before she could deploy her parachute.

As the merc sailed towards the ocean below, her head lolling dazedly with a minor concussion, she thought she heard the sound of a propeller, the type the old world war fighters used, buzzing over her head like a cloud of hornets.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"AW YEAH!" Ace crowed, pumping his fist in victory as he watched Dark Bird land in the ocean alongside her cronies, Penny's laughter highlighting his victory as she kept recalling Dark Bird's last squawk before having to eject "I AM THE MAN!"

"But don't you think she was acting a bit…odd, Kevin?" Penny asked, wiping a tear from her eye, her expression still one of good humor, but lined with confusion and intrigue "Not to mention that call she put into Gull Base…"

Ace nodded, his expression settling into a frown at his girlfriend's words. While he was all for laying the smack down on uppity mercs, back-stabbing jerks like Night Flight especially, the fact that someone might have interfered with his fight put a dampener on the mood. Not that he didn't appreciate the help, hell Dark Bird probably had a missile aimed right at them for all he knew, but in an official dogfight, outside interference was the greatest of taboos.

"Whatever it is, let's jet." He reasoned, turning the struggling jet beck towards Gull Base, not willing to take the risk of the other engine giving out "We can wait up for Dark Bird and see if Gina got to Atlantis alright."

Penny nodded, scowling at the thought of Gold Digger swimming in HER share of the treasure like scrooge McDuck, only to blink and look around in confusion "Ace, do you hear that?"

"Hear wha…the hell?" the pilot wondered, cocking an eyebrow as he looked around in confusion "Sounds like a propeller…like a crop-duster or something…" he looked down at the radar "But nothing's showing up on the scope!"

"Let's just get out of here!" Penny insisted, gripping his headrest nervously as Ace gunned it back to Gull Base to await the rescue team.

Unseen by the victorious couple, a strange little airplane, no bigger than a man's head, performed a barrel-roll and followed after the stricken Jet, the whining of it's single propeller buzzing like a swarm of hornets.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Several hours, and several bottles of Dark Bird's celebratory champagne, later, and Ace was in a rather chipper mood, all things considered. They still hadn't heard back from Gina, Penny accrediting it to some sort of jamming array around Gull Base to prevent the UN from tracking them down, but judging by the fact there were guards still storming around looking for her, and her car, he wasn't too worried. For all he knew she was chowing down on sushi and calamari till the coast was clear.

His mysterious wingman was what was currently holding the pilot's interest at the moment. Members of Gull Base had accosted him as soon as he and Penny disembarked, asking who he'd contacted, only for Ace to disrepute their claims by the simple facts he and Penny had been patted down before take off, had flown in one of THEIR jets, which meant they had been monitoring his communications, and had no ties to any military facilities that could've gotten a stealth fighter all the way out here in time.

Reassured that they WEREN'T about to be hauled out before the UN disciplinary committee for their activities, and tax evasion, the crew of Gull Base left Ace and Penny to their own devices, grudgingly allowing them to drink the champagne, as they had bigger fish to fry, or reel in rather.

"Here comes the rescue helicopter with Dark Bird and her goons, Kevin." Penny called out, pointing at the descending red chopper, her eyes narrowed slightly as she mentioned the merc leader.

Ace nodded, pouring two glasses of champagne and stepping up, cautioning Penny to stay back. If he knew Dark Bird, and the woman's reputation proceeded her like a radar lock, she was likely to be hotter than a Cayenne Pepper, so better to play this like a good sportsman.

"By the way…" he whispered out the corner of his lips "Did you manage to get through to Gina with that weird radio of yours?" he asked, nodding at Penny's confirmation, before stepping forward towards the scowling merc, who wa advancing on him like a tactical nuke.

"Hell of a dogfight Bird," he offered, smiling respectfully at the woman despite her obvious anger and drenched appearance "Gotta say, you're the best Leader I faced off against, closest I've come to hitting the silk since-!"

A shot sang out, the champagne glass Ace had held out to the mercenary shattering, glass and droplets of alcohol spraying everywhere as Ace leapt back, dropping e other glass and gripping his trembling hand, Penny yelling his name in alarm.

"Don' youse DARE patronize me!" Dark Bird hissed, glaring spitfire at the duo, her sidearm still smoking from the shot she'd just fired. Behind her, the crew of Gull Base herded Bulldog, Frenchie, Red Flag and Killer off to the brig, the four wingmen looking decidedly glum, but looking forward to a month in solitary compared to what their boss had planned for Ace and his girl.

"Now…" Dark Bird growled, leveling her firearm at Ace, who was still holding his hand. She hadn't hit it, but the impact of the shattering glass had likely numbed it "yoze is gonna tell me bout who youse had helpin' youse out up dere."

"We don't know!" Penny insisted, her hands on Ace's shoulders as he cursed, tying to rub some feeling back into his hand "We just saw you level off like you were being fired at and-!" she yelped as a shot nearly clipped her ear.

"Da next one won't be no warnin' shot toots." Dark Bird warned, her eyes narrowed as several of her guards stepped up beside her, aiming AK-47's right at the duo "Now…I'll asks youse nicely…WHO did youse call fer backup?!" she aimed at Penny "HUH?!"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ace cursed and shoved Penny out of the line of fire, only a barked order from Dark Bird preventing the rest of her goons from taking potshots at the duo. As they hit the floor however, the pilot felt something run across his shoulder blades, sort of like that massage roller Penny had gotten him for his birthday, only he was DAMN well certain that didn't sound like a propeller engine kicking off.

Looking up in confusion, he saw Dark Bird and her goons leveling their weapons at him, the flight crew stowing away the recovered jets…and what looked to be an old World War fighter plane in the distance.

It was only as he heard the sound of the engine, like the buzzing of angry hornets, or like something out of a cartoon, that Ace realized that not only was the plane not in the distance, but simply the size of one of his models, but that no-one seemed to be reacting to it, despite the fact it was heading straight for Gull base.

"What're youse lookin' at?" Dark Bird muttered, turning round and glaring out at the horizon, her guards keeping an eye on the prisoners "Thinkin' youse can escape inta da ocean huh? Well tough luck, 'cause th' only way youse getting' in there's when we buries youse at sea!" raising her arm, the merc captain brought it down with a sharp yell "FIYAH!",

Ace leapt, covering Penny with his body as the sound of gunfire started, but rather than feeling the merciless bite of assault fire, the couple heard the sound of confused screams, looking up to see the firing squad and Dark Bird dancing around as SOMETHING fired at their feet, causing them to perform the weirdest tap-dance in history.

"Ace-!" Penny hissed, pointing upwards, the pilot following her gaze to the weird little airplane from before, his eyes widening as it swooped in, miniature guns blazing, bullets no bigger than pencil tips raining down on the confused mercs like hail, several of them firing wildly into the air.

One of them, a rookie by the looks of it, had pulled out his sidearm and was aiming around wildly, only for a stray shot to make him drop the weapon and run off, holding his bleeding hand. Penny, seeing an opportunity, and being a better shot than Ace, leapt for the handgun and ducked behind a crate, Ace leaping beside her. "What the hell is that thing?!" Gina's rival demanded, leaning round and firing off a potshot at one of the guards, causing him to drop to the floor, holding his knee.

"No clue!" Ace shot back, equally confused as he watched the fight from behind the crate, his teeth clenched "Damn…Can't see anything from this angle…huh?"

"What is it?" Penny asked, only to blink as she turned to regard he suddenly mute boyfriend "Um ace…what's with the monocle?"

Ace honestly couldn't answer. One minute he'd been cursing the fact that outside a plane he was virtually useless, he was a better shot than Gina, but that wasn't really saying much if you thought about it. That. Coupled with the fact that he couldn't really tell what was happening on the other side of the crate, meant they were still sitting ducks for enemy snipers. Crate or no crate, this was Dark Bird's turf.

And then, just as he was wondering if he could make it to a jet without being perforated, a small radar screen had popped up in front of his eye like something smack dab out of metal gear solid. In it, several small clouds were moving about, and he found that if he tapped the screen, the range increased, almost like a jet fighter's radar.

'Waitaminute…' the pilot wondered, looking round as the sounds of gunfire continued, noticing that only Dark Bird's cronies seemed to be shooting, the mysterious little plane having apparently disappeared 'could it be…' he wondered, and then focused his attention on one of the guards, who was looking in their direction. Abruptly, a burst of miniature machinegun fire diverted his attention, the miniature fighter zooming in low to avoid being shot at.

'Dunno what's going on…' Ace reasoned, even as he pressed a hand to the radar array hovering next to his eye, a cool smirk settling over him as he directed the small plane towards several blips hiding near some fuel tanks 'But looks like I earned my second wings!'

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dark Bird cursed as she rolled under the rescue chopper, blood trailing from a narrowly avoided shot one of her, soon to be punished, crewmen had fired at her in panic and confusion. The Merc captain didn't know who was taking potshots at her, but she knew two things: firstly, that whoever it was had to be the same git that jumped her during the match, which meant he was on Ace's side. And second, as she espied Ace and his girl crouching behind some crates, was that NO-ONE took potshots at her on board her own damn ship!

Rolling out from cover, the merc took aim and fired at Ace, the shot going wild because of a sudden explosion that rocked the deck. By the time she recovered, Ace was already scurrying the hell out of sight, his girlfriend taking random shots at her with a pilfered handgun.

'Stalemate.' Bird noted, her face grim as she kept herself hidden behind the landing struts of the chopper, pulling a pilfered AK-47 up to her shoulder and smirking 'but not fer long…that wooden cover of youse don't mean nuthin' ta semi-automatic gun-fiyah!'

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Penny yelped as she ducked back behind the crate, having nearly lost her head to a burst of automatic fire. Sliding the magazine out of her pilfered gun, the archaeologist groaned at the sight of the four remaining bullets 'Dammit! And they've got us pinned!' she swore, slamming the magazine back into place and trying to se if she could get a better angle on Dark Bird, only for their position, and the mercenary's own beneath the chopper, to provide neither with a decent shot.

"Can't you do something?!" she demanded to ace, sweat dropping as the pilot, unknown to her, directed the miniature fighter to ferret out a few guards that were hiding behind a jeep. "Men…" she muttered, leaning against the crate and gritting her teeth, before whipping round and popping off a shot at Dark Bird.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dark Bird grinned as the shot went wide, nowhere CLOSE to hitting her from that angle, tightening her finger on the trigger of her AK, only to yelp as something smashed into the underside of the chopper, missing her by scant millimeters.

'Where'd DAT come from?!'

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I got her?" Penny wondered, blinking at the mercenaries yelp, knowing there was no way in hell her shot could have gotten close from this angle. She was good but not THAT good.

"Nah, near miss." A cheeky voice corrected in her ear, Penny whipping round to gape in alarm at what looked like five little sprite-like creatures, their skin a metallic grey and their heads shaped like bullet rounds, the numbers 1-3 and 6-7 adorning them "Number five ain't the best shot out there."

"Who the hell're you guys?!" Penny gaped, watching in confusion as a sixth one, the number five on it's head, popped up, rubbing his head apologetically, only to be slapped upside it by No.3.

"We're you!" the one marked as No.1 replied, pulling off a cheeky salute as it grinned up at her "We're part of you! Just give us an order and we'll carry it out."

"We'll maim 'em!" No.3 agreed, grinding his knuckles into the sides of no.5's head, earning squeals of protest from the blubbering sprite, the others agreeing eagerly.

"And just what can you guys do…?" Penny asked, clearly skeptical of their ability to do anything, only to blink as they clustered around her gun in a huddle.

"Just fire us at the enemy!" No.1 insisted, perching on her shoulder as the others seemed to phase into the weapon "last time there was four shots, so we missed, but this time there's three!"

"How's that supposed to make any difference?!" Penny demanded, only to yelp and duck lower to avoid a burst of machine gun fire "Oh to hell with it!"

Rolling out from cover, she squeezed the trigger, the bullet tearing from the muzzle of her gun, only this time there were three little sprites riding on it like it was some sort of bronco, one of them actually crying out 'YEEEHAAAW!' as they rocketed through the air.

Halfway across, one of them gripped the nose of the bullet and pulled, the projectile veering slightly off course towards Dark Bird's location. The other two leapt off, one kicking the bullet to accelerate it, right into Dark Bird's shoulder.

The merc yelped, only her flight suit saving her from a lasting, crippling injury as she rolled out from under the chopper, gripping her shoulder and ready to call in for a damned air strike if it meant taking out the troublemakers, only to blink at the sight of several million tones of giant, make that mountainous, crab looking down at her, all the sounds of battle stopping as the crustacean let out a deep, wet growl that caused waves to rise and fall around them.

Needless to say, the white flag couldn't be raised fast enough.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ace sighed in relief as he slumped against the crate, looking over at Penny, who flashed him a thumbs up in response to his own "Why do I always get mixed up in you girls' messes?" the pilot chuckled, shrugging his shoulders, only to blink as the little fighter plane landed on his shoulders like a runway and vanished, taking the radar-monocle with it "Whoa…"

"Least yours is quiet." Penny muttered, Ace blinking as he espied six little bullet things clamoring around the girl, fighting over the pieces of gum she was handing out "I swear, we are NOT having kids."

Ace decided right then that this was ONE conversation that he was quite glad to get interrupted by Gina, who had just stepped off the giant Atlantean crustacean to shoot the breeze. He just wasn't ready, nor suspected he ever would be, for Penny's 'marriage talk'.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

You see what it did there? Did'ja?

Fans of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, more specifically Series 5, Vento Aurum, should be familiar with Ace and Penny's stands, but for those who aren't here are their names:

Ace: Aerosmith.

Penny: Sex Pistols.

Stand Stats will be posted next chapter, if this one gets enough reviews.

Halibel: Cheapskate.

Kyugan: Hey, my title includes 'Review Whore' for a reason you know.

* * *


	13. Chapter 13

Whoo, no need for a reminder this time!

Crime Syndicate X saga starts up this time, how will Keitaro and co handle a group of hardened super criminals, led by 'stunning' Lex Luthor impersonator?

* * *

Chapter 13.

While all Ace and Penny were having their little misadventure with the mercenaries, the sun was just dawning back in El Dorado, the city of gold shining brilliantly within it's concealed valley, hidden from the modern world by a combination of dense, compass repelling mountains and magical repellents that made Hogwarts' strongest muggle repelling wards seem like a bad case of B.O.

In the master bedroom of the royal suite, Cheetah awoke from a rather…spirited, evening with her beloved Kryn prince, the details of which we'll leave to your imagination, to find her muffin leaning against the rail, already dressed (loincloths, so convenient) and looking out upon his kingdom reverently.

"Do you know how peaceful you look when you're sleep Brittany?" Stripe asked, smiling as his beloved joined him on the balcony, her hair, and fur by proxy, still tousled from sleep, and the activities that had led up to her sleeping past dawn.

"Not really," the were-cheetah countered, brushing the tangles out of her spotted hair with a handy comb that Stripe kept lying about. Hey, Even Princes needed to groom a little "Gina says I snore like a Jack-hammer."

"Still," Stripe countered, chuckling weakly at the comparison, as it wasn't that far from the truth "You make the cutest whistling sounds as you exhale."

Cheetah, honestly unsure as to HOW to take such a compliment, settled for embracing her lord of El Dorado from behind, resting her head against his and smiling "I love you..." she uttered softly "Always will, and I'll NEVER let you go."

Stripe, moved by her sentiment, turned to face the love of his life, a question he had posed but hours before rising to his lips, only to halt, struck silent with hesitation and doubt, as the memory of the Tanya-Cheetah's harsh refusal of his proposal rose up, unbidden to halt him. 'Get a hold of yourself!' he chided himself, looking into Cheetah's confused, but loving eyes as she asked him what was wrong 'TANYA was the one that said those words…even if Cheetah doesn't wish to marry, we can still be together…won't we?'

"Muffin?" Brittany asked, looking over the distraught Kryn in confusion, Stripe's resolve firming as he looked into those concerned, awe-enticing eyes, taking a deep breath as he reached behind him.

"Chee…Brittany." the Krynn prince corrected himself, using his beloved's first name as he stood tall before her, taking the were-cheetah's hand in his own, much to her confusion "Would you…do me the honour of…"

"CHEETAH-SAN! STRIPE-SAN!"

Stripe face faulted, effectively cock-blocked by the sudden arrival of one Urashima Keitaro, who had apparently just stepped out of one of Gina's light gates, an innocent smile adorning the Ronin's face. As he raised his head off the floor, a slight bump adorning his temple from the fall, the Lord of El Dorado also spotted the male elf, Tark, from their earlier mission to Atlantis, and a young woman that bore a passing resemblance to Cheetah, who was eyeing him up in a manner that he'd, until now, only associated with his beloved. Quite frankly it scared him.

"Keitaro?" Brittany asked, blinking in confusion at the sight of the innocently smiling Ronin and his unusual company "Tark and Brianna too?" she noting the male elf in particular with a hint of surprise "What're you guys doing here?"

"That's a fine good morning sis," Brianna scoffed, smiling good-naturedly at the taller blonde, her hands on her hips. She was wearing a pair of black pants that hugged her hips, with an unbuttoned jacket over what looked like a cross between a bodysuit and a boob-tube. Tark was simply wearing a casual suit and polo shirt, while Keitaro was decked out in black slacks and a checkered shirt, unbuttoned, over a black muscle shirt, his arrowhead on display around his neck "Dad sent us to pick you up," Brianna explained "I figured we could go on a shopping trip on the way back." She patted Keitaro and Tark on their heads with a smile "And these two volunteered to help carry stuff."

"I don't remember volunteering…" Keitaro muttered a little guardedly, looking at the youngest Diggers' sibling warily. The Ronin had been yanked out of his warm, comfortable bed some time that morning by Brianna, promptly washed and dressed by the woman before his brain could catch up, and then told to follow her as she opened the portal to El Dorado, claiming she was going to pick up Brittany. He should have wondered, in retrospect, why she needed both him AND Tark to do so.

"Yep, you sure did…" Brianna chirped, smiling at the Ronin in a manner he thought only Gina could pull off…and the cat ears weren't helping "Why, you don't wanna come with me? Don't you like me Kei?"

"Oh…right…" Brittany recalled, sighing at how short, but magical, her birthday had been, ignoring the stammering Ronin and her flirting sister as she turned to her muffin with an apologetic smile "Sorry, Stripe, looks like I have to go." She beamed at him lovingly "What was it you wanted again?"

"Uh…just that you come back soon?" Stripe offered weakly, all his determination gone in the face of the new arrivals, particularly Brianna's ogling, which was making him dimly aware of how little escape room there was.

"Wild horses couldn't keep me away!" Brittany assured the prince, pecking him on the cheek and stepping through the light gate, Brianna dragging a sputtering Keitaro after her as Tark brought up the rear, shooting the Ronin looks of concern.

As soon as the portal closed, however, Stripe took a breath, turned round and then began one of the oldest, self disciplining rituals his people had developed to keep from flipping out, namely the fine art of smacking his own head against the wall, cursing his own cowardice and the gods of bad timing, until he either put a hole in the gold block or knocked himself unconscious.

Surprisingly, the former came before the latter.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keitaro grunted under the combined weight of Brittany and Brianna's bags, his legs threatening to give out as he and an equally burdened Genn crab walked out of Tiffany's, several New Yorkers, mostly men, shooting the poor Ronin looks of pity, before dragging their significant others out of sight before they got any ideas.

"Don't you think you've bought enough, Brianna-san? Cheetah-san?" he called out imploringly, peeking out at the conversing siblings with a pleading expression that occasionally garnered him a reprieve from the Hinata girls, only for said siblings to laugh and look at him as if he'd told the joke of the year. Though Brittany's look of mirth turned to one of anger in an instant as a random teen snatched her purse from her and made off through the crowd.

"Little purse-snatching-!" the lycanthrope growled, before dumping her goods on top of Keitaro, much to the Ronin's horror, as his legs buckled beneath the weight "Hold these a sec!" she ordered, dashing off just as Keitaro collapsed, catching up to the purse-snatcher in seconds.

"You know…" she muttered, looking down at the thief, the idiot had walked right into her outstretched palm, "I was in a pretty good mood before, so I think I'll let you off with rotting in a jail cell instead of beating you up." She held out a hand "Now…I believe I've got a handbag coming to me?"

"Oh you got something comin' to ya lady," the thug muttered, Cheetah shivering at the grin that was slowly making its way across his face, not liking it in the slightest "But it AIN'T what you THINK!"

Before Cheetah could react, a metallic whip wrapped around her ankle and hoisted her out of the alley like a fish out of water, the perpetrator a woman in a tight black, hooded leotard, with an assortment of blades and other such nasties about her person. "Well now!" the woman gloated "Looks like I've landed a BIG one!" she smirked "And this one thinks she can rough up one of MY boys!" she cracked the whip, causing Cheetah to arc through the air like a fly on a lure "That kid works for ME sugar, and anyone who messes with him pays the-huh?"

Cheetah, with all the grace of her ancestry, slipped out of the whip's clutches, performing a graceful somersault for a woman her height, landing with her back to the woman, before turning to level a look at her, her beret having come off in the leap "I got news for YOU, honey…" the lycanthrope growled "You're in DEEP Stink-Stink"

"Well I'll be!" the woman marveled, a smirk on her face that covered up her surprise rather well "That's not a costume, that's YOU isn't it! You're some kind of cat!" she slipped a throwing dagger from her belt "How…chic!"

Cheetah braced herself to dodge the projectile, only to blink as a gloved hand snatched it out of thin air, her eyes widening as a woman in a fedora, cloak and mask crouched before her, addressing her attacker as 'Slasher', before looking over her shoulder at the lycanthrope.

"Leave this one to me, Brittany." The masked woman ordered, leaving the stunned lycanthrope to look on in shock as she leapt into a heated battle with Slasher, twirling her staff expertly to block Slasher's sword strikes, deflecting the whip as easily as she dodged it, shooting off one-liners that seemingly got her opponent in a right temper. Slasher, by this point seething at her opponent's mocking words, lunged in with a downward strike of her katana, swearing profoundly as she mistimed the stroke, the edge of her sword snapping off upon contact with the masked woman's staff.

"Humph…" the weapon-user snorted, backing up against the rooftop like a cornered animal "I know when I'm not wanted…" she muttered, before leaping off the building, using her whip and a street light to swing off into the night "I'll get you next time Avenger! Count on it!"

"Damn! She's too fast for me up here." The woman apparently known as Avenger muttered, scowling after the villain with her fist on her hip "But her time is coming…more importantly, are you alright Brittany?"

"How on earth do YOU know my…!" the were-cheetah began, only to trail off, her eyes widening as a familiar scent reached her nostrils, her face splitting in a delighted smile "NO WAY! That scent…PINKY?!"

"Long time no see Cheets!" Avenger greeted, pulling up her mask to reveal a smiling face, tears of joy glistening behind blue eyes "Finally decided to come visit you old high-school chum huh?"

Down in the alley, apparently forgotten by the gushing, embracing women above, the bag-snatcher came to the decision that now was as good a time as any to make a run for it, and made it as far as the entrance to the alley when an intangible fist crashed into his skull, sending him face first into the pavement.

"Bastard…" Keitaro muttered, glaring down at the unconscious hoodlum as he popped his spine back into place, a giggling Brianna looking on as Tark brought up the rear, the elf levitating their purchases for them, drawing a few stares from commuters.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You're back early, Slasher." A deep, female voice noted offhandedly as the grumbling weapons mistress stormed into the darkened chamber of their warehouse headquarters in a foul temper "Slim pickings?"

"Your old pal AVENGER showed up." The smaller woman grumbled sourly, as if that alone explained all the world's problems "Seriously, you'd think she had better things to do than stalk after us!"

"She's a hero," an eloquent voice retorted, the speaker, a bald man in a white suit, sitting cross legged on a chair reading a self-help manual "They all assume it's their business to stick their noses where they're not wanted." He noted, his tone laced with disdain as he snapped the book shut, his eyes flashing with electricity, lighting the gloom around him ominously "Not for long I assure you…Crush, prepare the hovercraft, Slasher, fetch T-Hawk, we move now."

The owner of the deep voice, a giant of a woman with muscles that'd put the she-hulk to shame, merely grunted and went to prep the aircraft, though she hated herself for doing what the overachieving baldy wanted. The loon purposely turned off the lights so he could practice that 'ominous eye-glowing' sketch of his for crying out loud!

'Not that it matters what I think…' she muttered, flinching as she recalled exactly WHY she obeyed the madman 'Please Dani…' she prayed, as she fired up the engines for the bastards' flight 'Please don't let them take you!'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keitaro couldn't help but chuckle, his bad mood, and the pulled muscle in his back, completely forgotten as he sat in a comfy armchair, listening to Brittany and Avenger, or Danielle as she was known outside her uniform, recount their early adventures from High School, back when they'd been the Dynamic Duo of 'The Pink Avenger' & 'The Cheetah'. For the life of him, the Ronin couldn't imagine Cheetah, who as far as he knew was always sporting the latest fashion, running around in anything that wasn't colour coordinated, nor could he imagine some of the villains they went up against. I mean, who'd ever heard of Phantom Lunch Ladies and Mind-Control Gravy?

He looked up from his mirth to see Tark struggling with the girls' shopping bags and moved to help him, not liking to let his fellow male suffer, only to grimace as his back twinged slightly. "I got this one Tark." He offered, taking the large Tiffany's bag off the elf's hands with a smile "Where do you want this Brianna-san?"

"Oh just drop them over there Kei," the composite sibling suggested with a smile, before grinning coyly at Tark, who was hiding a slight blush "And YOU can drop the Tark Disguise, GENN."

Keitaro blinked, looking back at the elf just in time to see his form shift into the decidedly nervous Rakshasa, who promptly scuttled so that Keitaro was between him and the smirking Brianna. "How in the universe did you know it was me?" Genn stammered, hiding behind Keitaro despite the Ronin's efforts to extract him, not liking the way Brianna was smiling at them at all.

"Simple," Brianna offered, amused to no end by the duo's antics "You may be able to assume Tark's likeness and imitate his abilities from my memories with you ESP, but you're not perfect." She nodded at the Rakshasa's wrist "I imagined Tark had a mole on his wrist and one appeared on yours."

"I thought it was strange Mesha wasn't with you!" Brittany exclaimed, her eyes wide with realization as she looked the Rakshasa over in understanding "Tark and Mesha are almost always together!"

"And even if they are apart, they never stop talking about each other." Brianna continued with a smile, Genn's face growing more and more embarrassed with each passing moment "Your 'Tark' barely mentioned her Genn!"

"What on earth would make you want to disguise yourself, Genn-san." Keitaro asked, looking over at his horned friend in confusion, prompting a flush from the Rakshasa as he twiddled his fingers.

"Well…" Genn stammered, "You know that, as a Rakshasa, I sustain myself on the ambient magical energy from those around me?" He waited for that to sink in "Well one of the usual methods is for us to absorb it through hand-to-hand combat or…you know…"

Keitaro blushed scarlet at the memory of being faced by the Hinata Harem back at Genn's temple, understanding all too well what the shape-shifter was getting at. He still got guilty flashes of Haruka in harem pants till this day.

"Well…last night I got a little peckish…" Genn continued miserably "So I made a deal with Brianna; she'd let me consume her ethereal energy if I used my MASCULINE form and let her call the shots."

Keitaro shot the shape-shifter a look, the same look any red-blooded male who'd encountered anyone related to the Diggers' siblings would use to enquire if the recipient had some sort of death wish. He and Brianna might not have done the nasty, that night when she was first 'born', but he'd been felt up, goosed, and cuddled in the night more than a few times by Gina, long enough to learn that a Female Diggers' libido seemingly ran on nuclear batteries, which was made all the more evident in the fact that Brianna had kept his shape-shifting friend at it until dawn.

"That was MEAN Brianna!" Brittany scolded, mortified at this embarassing revelation in front of her childhood friend, though Danielle seemed to be honestly amused "Forcing yourself on Genn like that!"

"Oh I wasn't forced." Genn assured the lycanthrope, looking mildly affronted at the idea "Brianna merely wouldn't let me feed until SHE'D been sated…I wouldn't have minded if she wasn't so…energetic."

"So supplexing you onto the bed was a bad idea." Brianna offered apologetically "But I had to burn off the stress from earlier somehow…and poor Keitaro needed his rest after that fiasco at El Dorado." She winked at the Ronin, licking her lips coyly "Though maybe the two of you would have lasted longer…"

Keitaro and Genn turned violet at the insinuation, Daniel snorting behind her hand as Brittany choked back a laugh at their mortified faces, the lycanthrope to amused too chastise her sibling for her forwardness.

"Brittany," the crime-fighter coughed, clearing her throat and blinking back tears of laughter as she gained her friends attention "I'm glad you came to New York today, because I really need a favor." She sat up with a sigh "You see I've been fighting crime in New York for years now, and while nothing has come up that I, as Avenger, couldn't handle alone, recently there's been an increase in criminal activity, practically overnight!" she looked at her friend imploringly "I was wondering if you'd help me get to the bottom of this crime spree, Brittany?"

"You have to ask?" Brittany exclaimed with a smile, grasping her friend's hands between her own "Of course I'll help! We'll ALL help, right guys?" she leveled a glare at the rest of the group's silence "RIGHT guys?"

"YES MA'AM!" Keitaro yelped, pulling off a salute that'd make any military drill sergeant weep with joy, his back rigid with terror at the lycanthrope's glowing eyes.

Brianna and Genn followed suit, the latter edging closer to the Ronin to avoid Brianna's wandering eyes, while the younger Diggers' sister eyed the terrified Ronin with a bemused smirk. None of them noticed the dastardly duo watching them from the roof of the opposite building, having tracked them to Danielle's apartment from the alley she and Brittany had faced off with Slasher.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"In there huh?" a raspy voice noted, sounding like crackling coals and smoke. No small wonder, as the owner, a skeletal figure that was covered from head to foot in what smelt like burnt flesh, his eternal, skeletal grin tainted with madness, had no doubt started his un-life in a burning house "Cool! When do we go in, Techninja?"

"Not yet!" his partner muttered, a young man decked out like a shinobi, only with cybernetics attached to his backpack and armguards, not to mention other assorted toys stashed about his person that "The worst time to take on a for is when they're alert!" he insisted, narrowing his eyes at Avenger's apartment window "We wait until we're CERTAIN they're asleep."

"Could we, like…set them on FIRE?" the skeletal wraith chuckled, his tone filled with twisted humor as he trembled with manic eagerness "The boss said we should, like…get Avenger and her pals out of the way before we make our Big Move!" Again the asthmatic rattle that passed for the undead creatures laugh "Fire's the best way to do it! Let's do it with FIRE!"

"Would you shut your damn maw?!" Techninja demanded coldly, shooting the wraith a look of pure disdain "Just because the boss requested we work together doesn't mean I have to put up with your stupidity!"

"Wouldn't it be cool if we ripped out their SPINES," the wraith continued, acting like he hadn't heard his partner, his asthmatic rattle grinding against the ninja's nerves "and like…shoved it down their throats and…!"

"Shut up, Burn Head!" Techninja grit out, his teeth clenching behind his facemask as he fixed his gaze on Avenger's apartment window, wishing that T-hawk had been assigned to partner with him instead; hell even Crush and Rabid would've been better, if only because they knew when to keep his trap shut, not that Crush said much to anyone in their organization if she could help it.

"We could make 'em drink liquid Drano and like…watch 'em gag and DIE!" Burn Head cackled, his mad rasping echoing in the night air as his mind continued to reel off the list of possible ways to murder the assembled heroes "THAT would be cool! Heh-heh!"

"Alright THAT does it!" Techninja muttered, drawing a beam katana off his shoulder pads as a vein bulged on his forehead, "WE go in NOW!" he ordered, shooting the wraith a glare that could melt steel "The sooner this is over, the sooner I can get away from your mouth, you IDIOT!"

"Cool," Burn head noted, watching as Techninja leapt across the gap between the window and their building with apparently little ease, kick-starting a free-for all inside the cramped apartment "Heh-heh!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keitaro had been leaning with his back to the wall, arms crossed as he listened to Brittany and Daniel discuss a plan of action, which meant he had a clear view of the window, and the night sky beyond it, when Techninja came barreling through, sending glass everywhere. The Ronin's first reaction had been to duck, a smart one, as the beam katana the cyber assassin swung at him missed his head by inches, allowing him to deliver a sweep kick to upset the man's balance.

"Not likely poindexter!" the ninja mocked, somersaulting backwards over the sofa Brittany and the panicking Danielle sat on, the latter hurriedly pulling on her mask as Brittany growled a warning at him "I don't think so babe," the ninja scoffed, leaning back as the lycanthrope leant over the sofa to get at him "Putting all your weight on that sofa's a mistake…" he flipped the whole thing out the window with his foot "cause where it goes, YOU go!"

"That's what YOU think Bub!" Cheetah crowed from on high, having leapt off the sofa the second she felt the sofa twitch, jeering mocking down at the surprised ninja "What? You didn't really expect me to just let you turn me into street-soup did'ja?"

"My Sofa!" Danielle, who was currently fully garbed in her Avenger outfit, yelped, pointing at the flying piece of furniture with a look of absolute horror on her face "It'll kill someone if it falls on them!"

"I got it!" Gen yelled, leaping out the window to levitate the falling piece of furniture, just as Techninja slashed at him with his beam Katana. Brittany foiled the man's assault by blinding him with her coat, only for Burn Head to descend on the Rakshasa from on high, skeletal fingers reaching for his throat "By the Maker!"

"Genn's in trouble!" Brianna yelled, delivering a flying kick to Techninja's kisser after Brittany disarmed him of his beam katana, hurling the thing over her shoulder, out of the villains reach. Danielle, now Avenger, rushed past the ensuing scuffle to perch at the window, hurling her grapple at the falling sofa, realizing to late that it wouldn't be taught enough in time to save the couple standing at the curb below, only to blink as Keitaro leant past her, gripping the line with a frown on his face.

Unseen to the crime fighter, Star Platinum loomed out from behind its master, wrapping one spiked gauntlet around the line and hoisting it up with a roar that rattled the windows, forcing the tether taught. Below, Burn Head let out a decidedly un-masculine squeal as the line snapped taught right beneath his jewels, possibly the only part of him still susceptible to damage, the specter falling right on top of the tough fiber rope as Genn hoisted the other end into the air with noticeable effort.

"That was too close…" Keitaro breathed, holding onto the rope and beaming at the confused Avenger in relief, only to yelp as one of Techninja's stray explosive capsules detonated the crime-fighter's T.V, sending smoke and glass everywhere, knocking him sideways into Avenger, his face pressed up against her cleavage. "SORRY!" he yelped, struggling to distance himself from the blushing woman, just as Brittany pulled the rug out from under Techninja's feet, sending the ninja wannabe barreling backwards out the window, dragging the startled Ronin and Avenger out with him. "OH CRAP-!!"

"Hang on!" Avenger urged the Ronin, hugging him close, unintentionally pressing him against her chest as she fumbled for the grapple line, watching as Techninja sailed past with a yell. She cursed as they overshot the line, trying instead to angle their fall so that they landed on the sofa, only to blink as Keitaro somehow turned them around in mid-air so his back was to the ground.

"I'm used to falling from higher than this!" the Ronin offered in explanation, bracing himself for the impact, only to blink as a whip lashed out, wrapping around their ankles, snapping taught and causing them to crash into the side of the opposite building, the impact rendering them unconscious.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Can't we trust you to do ANYTHING Tech?" T-Hawk demanded sourly, the dark-skinned man swooping down and catching the flailing ninja before he became street pizza, looking up as Slasher reeled in their catch from the side of the building "At least we nabbed Avenger…and a hostage too."

"Wait! What about Burn Head?" Techninja demanded, looking around for his annoying ass back up. Annoying as hell as the case may be, the undead sunuvabitch was still a teammate, and last he checked the Boss frowned on co-workers stabbing each other in the back off schedule.

"No time, the boss is here." T-Hawk muttered, nodding down to the hover-craft parked below, the hatch opening to reveal a bald man in a well-cut white suit helping Slasher drag the comatose forms of Avenger and their hostage into the vehicle "Let's jet."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Crap! They got Dani and Keitaro!" Cheetah swore, glaring down at the hover-craft as the villains scrambled into it "Dani…" she breathed, noticing how her friend's head rolled as Slashed carried her like a sack of potatoes into the jet.

"What happened?" Genn called out, hovering back in with the tether, still attached to the dangling sofa below in one hand, and an unconscious Burn Head in the other, the undead Con holding his damaged jewels in his sleep.

"They got Danielle and Keitaro!" Brianna exclaimed, her eyes wide with alarm as she turned to look at the shocked Rakshasa commandingly "We've got to get down there! Genn, can you fly us down?"

"I'm afraid not." Genn replied sadly, his face lined with concern for their friends, particularly Keitaro "I can only levitate objects that have no aura in them, like the sofa and this undead creature."

"Then dump the freak and let's slide down the rope!" Brianna insisted, only to blink as Brittany held up a hand to waylay her, the were-cheetah's expression darker than anything the hybrid sibling remembered "Sis?"

"Calm down…we're too late anyways." Brittany muttered, watching the bastards pile into their get-away vehicle and jet off into the night sky "We're just going to have to track them down and rescue them!"

"But how can we track them Brittany?" Genn implored, looking over at the were cheetah in confusion as he dumped both the sofa and Burn Head on the floor of Danielle's apartment with less care than they deserved "They're leaving by air, and even if I CAN fly, I'm pretty certain that their craft is much faster than I am."

"That may be so Genn." Brianna allotted, walking over to the semi-concious Burn Head, towering over the undead freak with her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face "But they left us a guide to follow them with."

"Huzzubah-whuh?" Burn Head muttered, rousing slightly at the sound of her voice, only for his eyes to bulge, a choked squeal tearing from his throat as she ground the business end of her brand-name heel into his groin. "I'LL TALK! I'LL TALK!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Crush sighed as she answered the baldheaded loon's summons, walking into the 'interrogation room', simply a cleared out store room with a dingy light bulb for that terrorist feel, only to blink at the sight of Avenger, and some bespectacled man she'd never seen before, bound back to back on their chairs, stripped to their underwear.

"Ah, Crush." The bald ringleader of this little freakshow greeted, looking over at the giant woman with his hands clasped behind his back, an approving smile on his face "As punctual as always."

"Where are their togs?" the giant woman demanded, looking away from the sight of her friend stripped to her bra and panties with a glare, noting Techninja and Slasher's obvious discomfort. Subservient to their boss or not, the woman was still over twelve feet of solid muscle.

"We had to…er…strip her Crush." The ninja wannabe explained, holding up his hands defensively in what he presumed was a placating gesture "She had all kinds of hidden pockets and stuff in that suit of hers."

"Yeah!" Slasher agreed, nodding vigorously alongside her fellow culprit, though Cr8ush suspected that the woman had enjoyed stripping them down a little TOO much to be considered 'professional' "We couldn't be sure we nabbed all of her gear so we took the whole suit."

"Right…" Crush muttered, her face lined with disbelief as she watched the two perverts sweat it out "And what about HIM?" she muttered, nodding towards the bespectacled man, who looked about as likely to be a spy as a politician was likely to tell the truth.

"Well…he was hanging with Avenger right?" Slasher stammered, shrugging defensively as the giant woman towered over them "Stood to reason he could have a few things on him…" she flushed slightly "Plus he looked adorable in his sleep and I just couldn't help myself."

"That will be QUITE enough." The bald man spoke out, shooting the frowning Crush a warning glare "You act like Slasher and Techninja should CARE about these two," he held up a hand to silence her "Remember, Avenger and this man, whoever he is, are merely bait to lure out their friends, nothing more."

"I swear I've seen this brat's face somewhere before though." Techninja muttered, holding the unconscious Keitaro up by his chin to get a better look at him "Where was it though…? Pretty sure it was on a Bounty list…"

"Look into it later." The bald man muttered, clenching his fist and holding it to his face as electricity arced through the air "First we must deal with Avenger's new allies! When Burn Head leads them here…" his voice changed from eloquent to dark and foreboding, echoing with malice "**WE SHALL CRUSH THE IMPOTENT FOOLS LIKE INSECTS!"**

He held the pose for a minute, the group looking at him with awe, and a little fear, before promptly stopping the light show and turning to regard Slasher out the corner of his eye, still frozen in place "How was that?"

Crush rolled her eyes, wondering how on earth a poser like this managed to rope together a bunch of criminals like this, before casting the bound duo before her a look of concern. None of them paid Techninja, who was fiddling with a PDA attachment on his gauntlet, muttering to himself as he looked between the screen and Keitaro's face with a scowl.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hoo boy, it looks like Keitaro done got himself into another fine mess.

How will things go down this time? Will Keitaro make it out in one piece? Or will Techninja's hunch net Crime Syndicate X some new problems?

Send reviews in to find out!

* * *


	14. Chapter 14

Whoo, almost forgot about this one didn't we?

Some people have asked that I stop assigning Stands to characters. I'm afraid a few more are set to appear, but they wont affect the course of the story much.

Remember, a Stand is the physical culmination of ones own Innate power. Keitaro's Star Platinum was a result of his inner aura. Gina's Hierophant Green manifested from her desire to help Keitaro. Hermit Purple represents Wisdom, and Dr. Diggers has more than a few tricks up his sleeve.

Lycanthropes will NOT receive Stands, they're badass without them, Key Villains WILL get Stands, simply because they'd be beaten too easily without them.

If you have suggestions for which Stands go to whom, feel free to send me suggestions in a review or Private Message. Please no original Stands, use the ones from JoJo Cannon, preferably series' 3 through 6.

That said, on with the show!

* * *

Chapter 14.

"Techninja." Tirant muttered, the bald man turning to address the muttering cyber-punk after he'd finished conversing with Slasher on the finer arts of villain-speech "When you're done playing minesweeper with your toys go relieve Rabid on watch duty." He nodded as the ninja looked up at him, scowling at the 'minesweeper' comment "Make sure you send due warning at the first sign of Avenger's allies, before intercepting them to buy time."

"Right…" Techninja muttered, not looking up from his PDA, currently scanning a list of black-market bounties, as he walked out the door towards the roof. The wannabe shinobi just couldn't get the nerd's face out of his mind, some internal part of him wondering why he had the sudden urge to shunshin the hell out of her and keep going, despite the fact he knew neither the advanced teleportation technique, nor where else he'd be accepted as a lackey. As resumes went he was still pretty green compared to the others after all.

"Hmmph." T-Hawk snorted, watching the ninja saunter off with a frown from behind his shades "If you wanted those guys outta the way, why didn't we just ice 'em while we were there boss?" he asked, turning to regard Tirant suspiciously "What's with all the trap junk?"

"We fight on OUR terms and our terms ALONE, T-Hawk." Tirant replied with a cold glare, causing the taller man to back up a bit "The Crime-Syndicate-X cannot afford the chance of a defeat in public." He nodded confidently as he fixed his tie "We must always appear to have achieved our objectives, even if we don't!"

"Ah," T-Hawk noted, nodding his head in understanding, his arms crossed and chin held between his thumb and forefinger "I get it, psychological warfare n'all that shit."

"Indeed." Tirant agreed, before turning his gaze towards Slasher, who was eyeing the recumbent Keitaro with a grin "Slasher, you and T-Hawk come with me." He ordered, walking towards the door "Crush, guard Avenger and our other guest…" he sniffed disdainfully "whoever the hell he is."

"Hey now…" the weapons mistress muttered, looking over her shoulder at the hulking woman behind her suspiciously "Are you certain you wanna let Crush here guard 'em boss?"

Tirant chuckled, looking over his shoulder at the taller of the two women, causing Crush to avert her eyes with a flinch "Heh, don't worry Slasher." He assured the smaller woman, his tone filled with mocking certainty "Under the current circumstances, Crush is the LAST person that would allow them to escape."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'Bastard.' Crush growled, watching the smug prick saunter off, no doubt to look up Avenger, or rather Danielle Carter's family and loved ones, just as he'd done to Crush to keep her in line. That or practice his 'Evil Sneer' in the mirror again like she'd caught him doing that one time in the ladies room, apparently he didn't want the other guys in Crime Syndicate X to catch him in the act, believing the odds of being caught out THERE would be lower, since Crush and Slasher were the only women in his fledgling organization.

'Not for much longer it seems.' the female mountain of muscle noted with a sigh, turning away from the door and promptly shrinking down from her towering height to her smaller, but still notably tall normal form, stepping over to her bound friend, her face lined with sorrow. "Oh Dani…" she whispered, trailing the woman's face as gently as she dared, before reaching out and shaking her, "Pinky…Pinky wake up…"

"Oh…my head…" Danielle muttered, wincing as she cracked first one eye, then the other open, blinking as she realized she was not only bound to a chair in her undergarments, but a familiar face was looking down at her "C-crush?" she stammered, before her gaze hardened "CRUSH?!"

"Well…" the formerly massive woman noted with a slight winced, "you didn't call me traitor," she noted, trying to sound positive "That's a good start, I guess." She winced again as Danielle continued to glare up at her "Pinky…let me explain-!"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" the smaller woman snapped, glaring at her venomously, teeth clenched tight as she strained against her bonds "Only my FRIENDS can call me that! And YOU certainly AREN'T one of those anymore!"

"Danielle Please…" Crush pleaded, looking down at the struggling woman in distress, her face lined with sorrow "Let me explain-!"

"Explain WHAT?!" Danielle snarled, turning her head away to hide the tears of anger in her eyes "How Vector and I trusted you? How you led us into a TRAP?? How you SNAPPED Vector's SPINE???" she grit her teeth at the memory of her friend's pained scream, opening her eyes to glare at her one time comrade with disgust "Vector and I were your friends Crush!" she snarled "He'll never walk again thanks to you and I won't rest until I've made you PAY!"

"Dani PLEASE!" Crush pleaded, tears welling up in her eyes as she looked her old friend over desperately "They know all about me now! They know where my parents live! They know where my little brother goes to school!" she shook her head in distress "If I don't go along with what they want who knows WHAT they'll do to them! I had no choice!"

"Who are 'They'?" Danielle muttered, her eyes suspicious, but at least willing to hear the woman out after that revelation "Who's so powerful that you'd lose hope and turn against your friends?"

"Crime Syndicate X." Crush replied, holding her arm as Danielle cocked an eyebrow at the title "It's a new coalition of Ultra Criminals…someone finally banded them together." She Flinched "And I'm one of them now…our leader's name is Tirant."

"And this 'Tyrant' guy has the power to get this city's most powerful and independent criminals to follow him?" Danielle asked, her face settling into a grim mask as she listened on, not liking the sound of this one little bit.

"Yes…" Crush agreed, shivering as she closed her eyes at the memory of the one time she'd dared to defy the bald crime boss "I…I tried to resist him once." She admitted aloud, holding herself at the memory of the beating, both physical and psychological he'd put her through "I dare not try it again…not against his powers…not with my family at stake." She opened her eyes to regard her friend with sadly "My days as Barbra Duncan: Biochemist, are over Dani." She revealed with a sigh "I'm Crush now."

"You're right about that." Danielle agreed with a scowl, looking into the ashamed woman's eyes "The Barbra Duncan I knew wouldn't have let someone push her around OR turn on her friends!"

"You'll understand soon enough Dani…" Crush, or rather Barbra admitted, shaking her head with a miserable sigh as she held her elbow with a saddened expression "For what they did to me…they'll do to YOU."

"Five more minutes…" Keitaro groaned, causing Danielle and Barbra to jump in surprise, the two heroines having completely forgotten the Ronin was even there, what with the intensity of their conversation "No Su…don't eat the table…"

"Friend of yours?" Barbra asked, the former biochemist looking over the bespectacled young man with a hint of pity in her eyes, noting how young he looked "I'm sorry he had to get caught up in this."

"He's a friend of a friend." Danielle admitted, not going any deeper, as she honestly didn't know any more about the Ronin from Adam, and wasn't prepared to completely trust Barbra at the moment, sob story or not "Hey…Keitaro…you awake?"

"Huzzubah-wha?" the Ronin snorted, shaking his head and groaning as it started to pound like crazy "Oh man…never again…when will I learn to…" he paused mid-complaint as the bonds of his chair kept him from pinching the bridge of his nose "…Oh shit…"

"Are you alright?" Barbra asked, drawing the youth's attention to her, making the common mistake that Keitaro was a teenager because of his baby face, leaning down to look the understandably nervous man in the eyes "You aren't injured are you?"

"Not really." Keitaro admitted, looking at the admittedly pretty woman in confusion, and a hint of wariness,as last he checked, being tied to a chair with a pretty women in revealing clothing equaled a supersize order of Naru-Punch to the groin "Though I'd like to know why I'm tied up to a chair in my BOXERS!"

"Probably Slasher's work." Danielle muttered, the crime-fighter's scowl deepening at Barbra's apologetic nod, releasing a growl a she glared at the door "Sick bitch probably got off on seeing us trussed up."

"GACK!" Keitaro yelped, having made the mistake of looking over his shoulder at the woman and gotten a birds-eye view of her cleavage "I'm so sorry!" he yelped, struggling to get away out of instinctive terror, almost knocking them on their side if Barbra hadn't managed to steady them.

"Easy there!" Danielle cautioned, her hair messed up from her unexpected bronco ride, shooting the terrified Ronin a startled look "Would you calm down? It's not your fault!"

Keitaro blinked, realizing he'd slipped into his old habits once again, before settling down and offering a weak chuckle "Heh…sorry…normally I'm used to being hit for stuff like this…still not used to women that actually LISTENING to me."

"Talk about that later." Danielle muttered, looking over at Barbra, who stepped back with a sad look on her face "We need to find a way out of here."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Would you quit messing with that thing?" Rabid muttered, the large, feral looking man glaring over his shoulder at Techninja from his perch atop a lamp-post "I could hear you coming from the stairwell!"

"Hardy-Har-Har." The technophile muttered, shooting the half-naked freak of nature a dirty glare as he looked up from his PDA "Boss asked me to relieve you, so go take a piss or something."

"The hell's up your butt?" the feral looking criminal muttered, not vacating his perch as he turned to regard his relief with a frown, having never seen the younger crook this worked up about anything "Got a virus in your gear?"

"One of the hostages we picked up…" Techninja muttered, rifling through his data files on the illegal bounty list, something he kept REGULAR checks on in case the chance to strike it rich came along "I swear I've seen his face somewhere before."

"Maybe on a milk carton?" Rabid suggested, sneering as the ninja glared at him, his teeth shining in the lamplight in contrast to the ninja's annoyance "What? S'not like it COULDN'T happen."

"Moron…" Techninja muttered, honestly wondering what he deserved to be stuck with people like Rabid and Burnhead, only to blink and flip back a couple of pages, smirking beneath his mask as Keitaro's face popped up "Hah! Knew I'd seen him some…where…?"

"Tech?" Rabid muttered, the feral crook looking over his shoulder at the technophile in concern as the shinobi wannabe turned a sickening shade of pale, almost corpsey really "You okay there buddy?"

"Oh holy fucking sacred mother of god…" Techninja muttered, his arm trembling as he read over the details of the bounty off his PDA's screen, his face paling by the second "…the boss…gotta warn the boss…!"

"Hey! What about my shift!" Rabid snapped grabbing the ninja by the shoulder, just as 300 pounds of pissed off were-cheetah crashed into them from above, slamming the larger villain into the roof of the building and grabbing Techninja by the throat.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey there Kimosabe." Cheetah greeted, smirking at the startled shinobi wannabe as she lifted him off the ground, dressed in her usual sneakers, short-shorts and a loose T-shirt that boasted 'Yes, they're real' to anyone looking south of her face "Remember me?"

Techninja, either from the hand crushing his throat or the fact the were-cat's outfit allowed him a bird's eye view of her twin peaks, found himself unable to utter anything but a small squeak.

Rabid, who had not enjoyed being on the receiving end of a hit and run, clawed his way onto all fours and lunged at the Lycanthrope, snarls and slobber tearing from his throat as he bore down on her like a tonne of bricks.

"Not so fast!" another voice called out, a second cat woman crashing into his back feet first, though this one weighed considerably less, leaping nimbly off him and crouching on the edge of the roof with a smirk "Not to bright are you?"

Rabid's response was to snarl and lunge at the younger cat, slashing away with his clawed hands in a bid to rend her open, only for her to weave under his blows with an almost lazy air, leaping over his head with a grin and aiming her hand at his back.

"Bingo." Brianna grinned, her Stand gun appearing in her hands even as she pulled the trigger, the bullet tearing from the barrel to catch the feral crook right in the ass, earning a smirk from the woman as Rabid leapt ten feet in the air, holding his abused rump and yelping hilariously "Least you're getting those shots big guy!"

"That was in poor taste, Brianna." Genn muttered, levitating down onto the roof with a sigh, already in his masculine form as his hand blurred out, hitting several key areas on Rabid's back, freezing the man in place and silencing his howls "I thought the purpose of coming via the roof was to avoid detection?"

"These old warehouses are pretty thick." Cheetah assured the Rakshasa as she knocked Techninja out with a finger flick to the head "Dani and I used to get into scraps inside and you couldn't tell what was going on even if you were leaning against the door."

"How'd you do that anyways?" Brianna asked, looking over at the petrified Rabid, whose eyes were dancing furiously in their sockets, the only prt of him that could still move, the younger Diggers' eyes lighting up with interest "Some sort of magic trick?"

"Of a sorts." Genn admitted "As a Rakshasa, I can assume the appearance and abilities of anyone you know." He thumbed in the direction of Techninja "I merely used his memories of his old sensei to strike several pressure points that would render his friend incapable of moving for a few hours."

"Cool." Brianna applauded, twirling her Stand Gun with a flourish, recalling it with a motion that made it look like it was sliding back up her sleeve "Well then, Let's do this!"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ah, you're finally awake." Tirant greeted, unaware of the crisis unfolding on the roof of his hideout as he sauntered into the room he'd left Avenger, Crush, and that bespectacled nerd in to stew "I believe I have a business proposition for you Miss Carter…" he glared at Crush, noting she was in human form for some odd reason "Crush, untie her."

"You're pretty confident…" Avenger, or rather Danielle Carter snorted, smirking at the bald crime boss as Crush moved to obey "What's to stop me from kicking the tar out of you the minute I'm out of this chair?"

"Oh I don't think I need to worry about that…" Tirant assured her smugly, lifting up a the printout Slasher and T-Hawk had compiled on the woman's next of kin "Unless, of course, you want Slasher to pay a…Social Call…" he smirked as Crush flinched "to the residents of 613 West Lane…Your Brother, Bob Carter and his family!"

Danielle's face had paled at the address, a look of distress and horror washing over her as she realized that everything Crush, or rather Barbra had told her had indeed been true.

"Now then…" Tirant noted, tucking the printout into his coat pocket and towering over the hero, his eyes crackling with power as he allowed electricity to form around him "I believe you were saying something about 'kicking the tar' out of me?"

"D-don't hurt them…" Danielle stammered, the crime fighter lowering her head in shame to avoid looking into those smug, glowing, mocking eyes "I…I'll do whatever you want, just don't hurt them!"

"Glad you see things my way." Tirant noted, a smug little smile on his face as he dropped the theatrics, nodding to a depressed looking Crush "See to it she's properly attired, and while your at it change back into combat mode, her friends could show up at any mo-!"

The bald dictator got no further as an intangible fist of pure, unadulturated fury smashed into his face with the force of a wrecking ball, sending him flying across the room to crash into the door, tearing it off it's hinges with an audible crack. 'Wha-what?!' he stammered, pulling himself up and covering his lower face with one hand, 'Who…who dares to hit ME?'

"You bastard…" a voice called out, Tirant looking up to find Crush and Avenger staring in shock at the bespectacled young man he'd put off as unimportant. Said man was currently standing up, the binds that had held him to the chair torn to shreds, as if something had burst them open through sheer muscle strength.

"You threaten Carter-san's family because you're too scared to face her yourself?" the ronin growled, his fists clenched as he glared "Not only that, you did the same to Duncan-san…making her hurt her friends, tearing her life apart…"

"H-How DARE you lay a hand on ME you filthy little-!" Tirant snarled, rising to his feet and advancing on the Ronin with lighting arching from his hands and eyes, only to yelp as a chair crashed into him, the object of furniture shattering under the force of the blow, knocking him to the floor once again.

"How dare I?" Keitaro repeated, Star Platinum hovering over him with an equally angry expression on it's face as he advanced on the downed crime lord "How dare YOU! What right do you have to play with people's lives like that?! What did they ever do to you?!"

"K-Keitaro?" Danielle stammered, looking over at the young man in shock, not used to being the one being defended, still trying to figure out how the scrawny looking Ronin had not only busted out of bonds that had given an experienced crime fighter like her trouble, but had knocked the supposedly untouchable Tirant to the floor twice in as many minutes.

Crush, or rather Barbra Duncan, was of the same mind as her friend, gaping at the sight of the normally impeccable Tirant pulling himself off the floor, spitting splinters and blood out of his teeth as the Ronin advanced on him, face like a thundercloud.

Some part of her, the part of Barbra Gordon that had been long buried under the fear and helplessness of her situation, quickly pointed out that this was her chance to take the prick down for good, to make sure he NEVER so much as DREAMT of coming near her, her friends, or her family again.

"Avenger…" she muttered, earning a shocked look from Danielle as she shifted into her larger form "Your clothes and gear are on the table at the back of the room, get them on while I tender my resignation would you?"

"Barbra…" Danielle breathed, looking up in awe as her friend shifted once more into her towering battle form, noting with a hint of wonder that the old fire that had burned in those eyes was back with a vengeance, before nodding and racing for her gear as Crush charged Tirant with a roar of rage.

Tirant, who was wiping blood off his lips with the back of his hand, merely glared, his eyes glowing with electricity as he clenched his fist "So that's how you want to play is it?"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"EIGHT BALL IN THE CORNER POCKET!" Brittany cheered, wrapping her legs around T-Hawk's neck and flipping backwards, slamming crook's face into the concrete floor of the hallway, rendering him unconscious on contact as she landed on all fours, looking over at her sister as she hacked into the gang's computer "How's it going over there Bri?"

"Man this thing's slow!" the composite Diggers sibling muttered, frowning as she over-clocked the thing with her high speed typing "I mean c'mon, what kind of Crime Syndicate uses Vista?!"

"One with a seriously tight budget." Slasher quipped as she leapt past, too busy fending off Genn, who was using his ESP to not only read her oncoming attacks, but was channeling the skills of the woman's master, the only person that could take her down unarmed "Dammit! Stand still so I can hit you!"

"Are you serious?" Genn muttered, moving in to avoid the woman's tazer-whip, knocking it out of her hands with a slap to the wrist, delivering a follow-up chop to the side of the neck with the speed of a viper "I would suggest you surrender, unless of course you enjoy being beaten up?"

"I don't just enjoy it beefcake," Slasher shot back, smirking suggestively as she kicked out, revealing daggers in her boots that she used to hold the shape-shifter at bay "I like to spread the wealth!"

"Speed it up a little Bri!" Cheetah urged her sibling, sitting on T-Hawk's neck in order to keep the man from getting up again "Find out what these yahoos are up to and let the cops know while you're at it!"

"Will do!' Brianna chirped, the grinning composite pulling off a salute as she typed away at the computer with a combination og Cheetah's speed and Gina's expertise "I'll show 'em what happens when they kidnap MY friends!"

"BANZAIII!"

The group blinked, only to gape as a section of wall fell in with a crash of thunder, catching Slasher off guard as something hurtled through it, crashing into the weapons mistress and slamming her into the opposite wall.

"K-Keitaro?!" Brittany gaped, looking on in amazement as the dust cleared to reveal the immortal Ronin, his hair spiked up from the static and his head resting between Slasher's breasts, their limbs entangled in a manner the weapons mistress would have neutered him for had she not been rendered unconscious.

"Well now…" a cold voice intoned, the trio looking back to the hole just as Tirant, his eyes blazing with energy, stepped through, dragging a gasping Avenger and an unconscious Barbra after him "It would appear that I need to rethink my hiring policies a bit."

"Dani!" the Diggers sisters yelled, staring at their battered friend in alarm, Brittany recovering quicker and racing forwards, her fist drawn back with a snarl "Oh you asked for it curly! Fasten your seatbelt cause you're goin on the Cheetah Express to a world a' HURT!"

"Quite." Tirant muttered, dropping Crush and leveling his hand at the lycanthrope, a bolt of electricity lashing out from his fingers and crashing into her, a smile forming on his face as her screams started up "Now this is how I should have done things from the start…so much less hassle." He glared at Brianna, who ducked behind the computer "Ah, sniffing around where you're not wanted are you?"

Brianna blinked, only to yelp as a hand lashed out at her from the wiring under the table, only her inherited reflexes from cheetah saving her from the grasping hand that, as she got a better look at it, seemed to be composed completely of electricity "What the heck?!" she swore, her Stand Gun whipping out, firing twice at the phantom limb, only for it to receded back into the paneling "Genn!"

"Above you!" the Rakshasa yelled, knocking her out of the path as a light bulb exploded, sending shards of glass in all directions, the same claw from before missing Genn's horn by millimeters "He's traveling through the electric cables!"

"Most peculiar…" Tirant noted, eyeing the duo with dark fascination as he dropped Avenger on the floor "You two can see it? Or are you simply hypothesizing?" he raised his hands in the air "Let's find out shall we?"

"Genn!" Brianna yelled, rolling to the side to avoid an arch of lightning from Tirant's hands as it crashed into the spot she'd just vacated, flash frying the ground and sending sparks everywhere "Could use a distraction here!"

"Of course!" Genn grunted, promptly levitating several empty oil drums stacked near the wall and hurling through the air at Tirant, already expecting the villain to blast them out of the air and thus not worrying about the comatose forms of Danielle and the other woman too much.

Brianna, making good use of the distraction, had rushed in, keeping low to the ground to avoid stray bolts of lightning, before pulling of a home run slide that took her under Tirant's legs, her hands snapping out and grabbing the two comatose women and dragging them under her arms to carry them to safety.

"Wench!" Tirant roared, sending a blast of electricity her way, only to be knocked off his feet as the capsule of compressed air Brianna had left under him detonated, sending him flying through the air, crashing ass-first into a pile of crates, toppling them over with a crash.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Think that got him?" Brianna wondered, crouching next to a groaning Cheetah as Genn tried to rouse a dazed Keitaro, who'd apparently taken a bolt of lighting to the chest when Tirant had blasted him through the wall.

"Hope so…" Avenger grunted, wincing as her skin tingled slightly in discomfort "Good thing my cape's insulated or I'd have been fried." She looked over at Barbra, who was coughing slightly as she rubbed her throat "You okay, Barbra?"

"I'm fine." Barbra assured her friend, a slight thrill rushing through at being able to refer to her as such again "I've endured his power before, so I'm sort of used to it." she winced as she tried to shift back to her muscular form "Still knocked me out though…"

"What do you think that hand was?" Brianna wondered, earning looks of confusion from the group, with the exception of Genn, who was patting the poor ronin on the back "Tirant seemed surprised we could see it."

"It's clearly a Stand then." Genn reasoned, nodding his head in understanding, "It would make sense that Tirant is a Stand user like you and Keitaro, thus the reason no-one has commented on his power before, only Stand users, or those sensitive to Auras, can see Stands."

"Which means Dani and the big-girl here are fighting blind." Cheetah muttered, nodding towards Avenger as she spoke "No offence Dani but you know as much about magic as I know about quantum physics."

"None taken." Avenger muttered, staggering to her feet with a little help from Barbra, who'd shifted back into her Crush form during the intermission, looking haggard but alright "but how do we fight something we can't see?"

"You don't." a voice that was like a thousand generators humming countered in her ear, causing her hair to stand on end as a scale hand landed on her shoulder "You FRY!"

"Dani!" Crush yelled, the giant woman swiping out at her friends back as Avenger started to scream, trying to find whatever was attacking her only to come up blank "Dammit where is it?!"

"Got it!" Brianna yelled, summoning her stand and firing off a shot that clipped the creature's ear, only for it to leap off Avenger's back and latch onto an overhead light like some sort of mutant spider monkey "Oh gross!"

"Why thank you." The creature replied, it's beak like mouth twisting in a mockery of a smile as it looked down on them from on high "Please feel free to underestimate me by my appearance," the sickening smirk widened "I assure you it will be the last thing you ever do!"

"Holy crap its Frieza!" Keitaro yelped, having roused back to the land of the living, only to gape in disbelief at the sight of their opponent hovering over them "Watch out! He's gonna launch a Death Ball!"

"What is that brat prattling about?" the Stand, which ironically enough DID look like a cross between a certain changeling and a saibaman, muttered, glaring at the Ronin as it allowed the electrical current that made up it's body to show "This is my special ability." It revealed, the voice changing till it sounded oddly like Tirant's "I awakened it as a child and have discovered a fair few uses for it." The Stand raised a hand in the air "Such as this!"

It leapt off the lamp, aiming right at Brianna, who brought her own Stand to bear on it with a smirk "Nice try sucker!" she crowed, pulling the trigger "But you picked the wrong target!"

"Did I?" Tirant's voice in her ear asked, Brianna blinking as she felt her body turn just as she pulled the trigger, her eyes widening as she realized she was now aiming at a VERY stunned Genn "I beg to differ."

"CRAP!" Brianna swore, backhanding the air desperately, only for the Stand to leap away diving into an electric socket even as Genn, who had shifted to his neutral form to dodge the bullet aimed at his face , rolled to the floor "Where'd he go?"

"Useless." Tirant's mocking voice called out from over the speakers on the walls "I can travel freely through the electrical cables in the walls like this, you will never know from where I'll attack, or WHO!"

"We have to find his real body!" Genn hissed, keeping his voice low to avoid being heard by their foe "From the looks of it his Stand is one that can travel far from his body provided there's electricity! But that means his real body is defenseless!"

"So if we cut the power we can reduce his maneuverability." Avenger reasoned, the crimefighter nodding her head in understanding as she crouched low on the floor "Crush, where's the fuse box?"

"In the main hangar." Crush revealed, nodding towards the doors at the end of the room, where the crime syndicate's hover jet could be seen "But how do we know he's not waiting for us to try it?"

"No choice, let's book!" Cheetah grunted, taking off from a track start and grabbing Keitaro under her arm, as the Ronin was the slowest of all of them, Brianna doing the same with Avenger while Crush and Genn brought up the rear, the Rakshasa using his ESP to try and predict where the next attack would come from.

"FOOLS!" Tirant cackled, the hangar doors slamming shut behind them as the lights snapped on, blinding them temporarily as thunder crackled in the air "You just walked right into the lion's den!" the bald criminal mocked, standing atop the aircraft with a confident sneer despite his battered appearance, lightning crackling in his hands "Prepare yourselves!"

"Shit!" Brittany swore, rolling to the side as the bastard's Stand lashed out from the side, swinging her fist at the monstrosity, only for it to grab her by the arm and hurl her across the hanger like yesterday's trash. Brianna, taking the chance while the creature was down, opened fire with her gun, aiming at Tirant's kneecaps, only for the Stand to once again appear out of thin air, deflecting the bullets with lightning fast jabs.

"Useless!" Tirant scoffed, arms crossed before him, his Stand mimicking his pose as he sneered down at his hapless opponents "My friend here can travel at the speed of a lightning bolt! That's faster than the speed of sound!"

"Not fast enough." A voice opined from behind, Tirant turning to receive a spiked fist to the face courtesy of a smug looking Star Platinum, Crush having tossed Keitaro into the air while Tirant was too busy gloating, the blow knocking the would be tyrant off his feet again.

"You dare!" Tirant roared, his eyes glowing as he gathered electricity into his hand from every corner of the room "I'll reduce you to cinders for that you little bastard!" he waved his hand, sending his Stand forward to attack, only to cough up blood as Star Platinum rammed its fist into the smaller Stand's chest cavity with enough force to create a bulge on the back "H-How…"

"You're Stand might be as fast as a bolt of lightning…" Keitaro muttered, standing over the gasping villain with an impassive look on his face as Star Platinum loomed behind him "But you're just a load of thunder!"

"ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORARA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA!!!"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Not bad…" Cheetah muttered in grudging approval, watching as Keitaro dug into the bald villain in a blur of fists that impressed even her "I've heard better one liners, but not bad for a first timer."

"So what would you give him?" Brianna asked, leaning against the wall as she watched the usually gentle Ronin cut loose with a warm, highly approving smile, especially as Tirant's high-pitched pleas for mercy reached her ears "I'd say…about a 6."

"Bout the same for me really." Avenger agreed with a snort, her arms crossed before her as she looked on in dark mirth as she watched Tirant get his just desserts "He gets points for referencing Tirant's abilities at least."

"We really should step in to stop him from going to far." Crush opined from the rear, only to smirk as Tirant's girlish screams washed over her like an angelic choir, wishing she had a tape recorder so she could listen to it again and again "In another minute or so."

"Good to have you back Barbra." Avenger chuckled with a smile, patting her massive friend on the back as they watched the brutal smack down unfold, together again at last.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And so the Crime Syndicate X saga draws to a close.

I know that Tirant didn't mention his Stand's name, but here's the stat's anyways.

Stand: Red Hot Chilli Pepper

User: Tirant

Power: A Speed: A Range: A

Staying: A Precision: C Learning: D

1- Can control the Electricity around it.

2- Can attack from anywhere there is a power outlet (Sockets, computers, batteries, engines etc.)

3- Can travel freely through power lines.

4- Can drag people into wires to kill them with the shock.

5- Power supply is regulated by the electricity available. If no Outside source available, Tirant can supply his own power to aid his stand.

A: Very Good B: Good C: Average D: Bad E: Poor

Figured this'd be the perfect Stand for old fuse-head. The difference between Triant's RHCP and the cannon one is that the cannon RHCP was reliant entirely on the electricity around it. If you get it far enough away from a source of power, it grows progressively weaker.

Tirant's version can leach power from it's user through their link if he's nearby, but if Tirant wanted to fight long distance, he'd have to make sure his stand had access to a power outlet, even if it was a simple car engine or battery.

So not much of deus Ex Machina Stand, but still a heavy hitter for later encounters, once Tirant gets a little more used to it.

And Yes, it really does look a little like Frieza, especially when it crosses it's arms.

R&R or be Death Ball'd!

* * *


	15. Chapter 15

And so saga continues.

Didn't even need to wait for a reminder this time!

Insert 'Standard copyright lawsuit avoidance speech' here.

On with the show!

* * *

Chapter 15.

"Greetings once again, Gina." Kahn greeted, the bald monk/librarian smiling politely at the blonde genius before nodding his head towards her escort "And to you, Keitaro, would you care to try your luck again?"

"Don't have time," Keitaro admitted with a grin, tilting his head towards Gina, who was dropping off her books at the desk "Gina's in a bit of rush, so we'll have to put you thrashing me at chess off for now."

"Don't belittle yourself," Kahn chuckled with an amused smile "you're doing much better, and I have had years of practice on my side." He nodded "Also, Empress Lin wishes to thank you for the brownies you brought over last time." He looked over his shoulder before leaning in close to whisper in the Ronin's ear "But next time, send me a warning before you make any more."

Keitaro promised, having learned, unintentionally, that his baking skills seemed to have the oddest effect on the Empress of Shangri-La, namely an aphrodisiacal one. The last time he'd brought brownies over, Lin had gorged herself on the little squares of chocolaty goodness, before hauling a startled Kahn off to their 'private quarters'.

It was a good thing Kahn trusted Gina and Keitaro not to abuse their library rights, as Lin had kept him at it until the following morning, meaning the duo had to check their own books out.

Needless to say, Lin had called off her vendetta against the immortal Ronin, provided he bring more 'sinfully delicious' goodies her way next time he visited the library.

"By the way," Kahn recalled, smiling at Gina as the scientist finished returning her books, pouting slightly at the little warning slip she'd received for being overdue "I have those new atlases you asked about Gina, care to take a look?"

"Thanks Kahn!" the blonde offered, beaming up at the librarian, offering a small, polite nod to Lin, who returned the favor with regal poise that didn't quite match the looks of hunger she was sending towards the basket that Keitaro and Kahn hadn't quite managed to sneak past her "I've been waiting ages for those! I hope it didn't interrupt your other work getting them in."

"Oh nothing more than the usual." Kahn assured the blonde, a smile on his face as he led them towards his office "The Daemon's in the inner library WERE a little rowdier than normal, but the codex protects me."

"Daemons…" Gina muttered, she and Keitaro shivering in unison at the distant memory of a certain satanic vermin they hoped to never hear from again "we've had our fair share of troubles with THOSE creeps, heck Keitaro actually sent one off to the big sleep a while back!"

"I hope you're right Gina." Kahn muttered, his face lined with concerned trepidation as he leveled a look at the Ronin in question "Daemons are a vengeful breed, and if the one you encountered lived, it would surely go to the ends of the earth to hunt you down…and KILL you."

Keitaro swallowed audibly, internally praying to whichever deity was listening that mighty mouse's evil twin didn't decide to come back for round two, only to choke as Gina elbowed him in the ribs. "Buck up Kei!" the adventurer offered with a grin "You sent that sucker through a solid stone wall! If he survived that, I'll eat my Trilby!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the desert of Iran, a small, almost unnoticeable shadow detached itself from the gaping entryway to what had once been Genn's temple and prison. Looking towards the setting son, the owner of the shadow narrowed it's glowing crimson eyes before setting out at a slow, determined pace, like a hell-bound glacier, or the shifting of a continent.

It was in no hurry, it could FEEL the presence of the ones that had humiliated it, that had violated the sanctity of its home and made off with the historian. It would find them, and then there would be BLOOD.

'Terminator ain't got SHIT on me!'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I really wish you'd stay a little longer." Kahn sighed, smiling at the duo as Gina gushed over the latest atlases, having apparently uncovered an ancient Diamond Temple in the middle of cross-referencing "It's good to hear about the outside world from people that aren't in a hurry to return a book."

"I'll try and stop by soon." Keitaro promised, shaking the librarian's hand with a smile as Gina opened a portal back to the Diggers' home, or rather her lab "I gotta try and win SOMETIME."

"Indeed." Kahn chuckled, recalling how well the Ronin had improved since he first started teaching him chess. Had Keitaro actually played anyone else, other than Dr. Diggers occasionally, he'd be surprised to learn he was well on the way to attaining the skills of a chess champion "As it is, I have another guest stopping by later for a game, so it isn't that bad."

"Move it Kei!" Gina called out, grabbing the Ronin by the upper arm and dragging him into the portal, waving over her shoulder at the bemused Librarian "Buh-bye Kahn!"

Kahn chuckled at the look on Keitaro's face as the portal closed, uttering a small prayer for the Ronin's soul, and chastity, as he turned back to his desk, only to freeze at the sight of the empty basket there.

"Kaaa-hnnnnn…." A sultry voice called out, the librarian's back, and other parts, stiffening as a pair of arms wrapped around his chest, two soft mounds pressing into his back as Lin, her voice laced with desire and chocolate, whispered in his ear "Want to try MY treat?"

The patrons of the library sighed, heading towards the codex to check their books out as Kahn's yelps receded to his private chambers. From the sound of things, this sounded like another all-nighter.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Heedless, and thankfully so, of their friends' actions, Gina and Keitaro promptly set about planning their latest excursion. Brittany had volunteered to come along, citing that while she loved her 'muffin', she needed to keep in shape or she'd go to pot. Though frankly, Keitaro suspected it had something to do with this weeks credit card bills.

Not that he'd ever say this within earshot, immortal or not, being knocked ass over teakettle by an annoyed Lycanthrope hurt in ways that would probably send Naru into a fit of jealousy…not that there was anything new there.

Brianna and Genn had opted out, though Keitaro suspected the Rakshasa wanted nothing more to tag along, as the youngest Diggers sibling had been sending them odd looks recently, looks that, quite rightly, terrified the Ronin.

However, as he gazed up at the giant, Aztec pyramid that was glowing like a veritable search beacon despite being in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, a clear sign that something sinister was going on, the Ronin found himself questioning if death by nookie was such a bad fate after all. At least with the latter there was a chance he'd get laid.

"What's up with this poser?" Brittany muttered, a bead of sweat running down the side of her head as they stared down into the antechamber, where a large, heavyweight man in a pretty spiffy Elvis get-up was laughing maniacally. It was quite unsettling really.

"Gina-san, I don't think this is the lost diamond temple we're looking for." Keitaro muttered, an equally unsettled look on his face as he listened to the self-entitled 'Spellvis' rant on about some 'chosen one' and various other evil things "For one I don't see any diamonds."

"Keitaro…" Gina chuckled, patting the confused Ronin on the back with a sympathetic smirk on her pretty face "Have a little faith in this Archaeologist/Super Scientist! My Gina Scope picked up a huge amount of the stones right on this spot! And the rumors say this temple had 'Stars' inside it, so they must be in a secret room!"

"All the same I think we'd best head back to the car." Keitaro suggested, shivering slightly as the madman's cackles echoed up towards them ominously "At least until he leaves, no point in getting caught up in something we don't have to."

"I'm with Kei on this one." Brittany agreed, though she didn't like the way the Ronin had put it. Most of the adventures she and Gina had been on had gotten a lot worse because her sister had aggravated the wrong person or triggered some trap that a blind, arthritic chimp could have avoided "I say we wait for 'Stale-vis' there to am-scray before grabbing the loot."

"Oh you guys are no fun." Gina huffed, the blonde scientist/adventurer pouting at them in annoyance, before grinning and turning her head back to the chamber "I mean, we can at least check things out…"

"Gina NO!" Keitaro gasped, looking alarmed as he moved to stop her, only to blink as the blonde's Stand rose up behind her, the technorganic coils unraveling as it slithered down the walls, out of sight of the cackling madman.

"Forgot about that huh?" the blonde teased, smirking at the dumbstruck faces of her companions as they gaped at her "My Stand isn't that strong, not compared to Keitaro's, but it's range is pretty impressive, and it's quite capable of sneaking around to check for traps."

"Pretty useful." Brittany admitted grudgingly, scowling at the smug look on the blonde's face, refusing to rise to the bait. So she didn't have a Stand to back her up, GINA sure as heck couldn't survive being char-grilled by dragon fire, nor could she go toe-to-toe with a pissed off Werewolf mother. Admittedly Keitaro probably could, what with his supposed immortality, but the guy was so timid it'd take a serious threat to get him to defend himself.

Which made all the more sense, at least according to Dr. Diggers, as to why Star Platinum was so gosh-darned powerful. Keitaro wasn't the sort of person that would abuse the power he possessed, and his gentle nature and fierce desire to protect what was precious to him.

'Now if only they could do something about his klutz attacks…' Brittany muttered, only to curse as Keitaro, who had leant a little too far over the edge, let out a yelp as it promptly crumbled, sending the Ronin screaming into the chamber below "GOD DAMMIT MURPHY!"

"Intruders! Infidels! AUTOGRAPH HOUNDS!" the cosplaying megalomaniac howled, whirling round to glare up at them, blasting at the ledge above with a beam of magical energy "Face tha wrath of SPELLVI-! HEY!"

He trailed off, eyes widening as the bespectacled intruder, screaming at the top of his lungs, crashed head first into the pool of lava that contained his teleportation spell, followed closely by a pair of mighty-fine looking ladies, one of which seemed to be into furries.

"Gosh-Darnnit!" the megalomaniac cursed, glaring down at the pool as the lava calmed, the magical energies depleted "Thanks to those groupies ah'll hafta start all over again!" he sneered at the pool, having already gotten a fix on the location of the soul he needed to obtain ultimate power. All he had to do was cast the spell again, warp in, grab the soul from the bespectacled poindexter, and then his 'Hunka-Hunka Burnin' Hate Comeback Tour' could kick off.

'Now then…' he muttered, whipping out a tattered, dog-eared tome that had probably looked old when it was new, around some time BC 'how'd that there spell go again…?'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Life in the little town of Quagmire couldn't exactly be called normal. Not when you had alien princesses, heirs to rival ninja clans, crackpot inventors, monsters, time travelers and various other freaks of nature duking it out on a regular basis, usually with a certain teenage boy, one Jeremy Feeple, caught in the crossfire.

Fortunately for young Jeremy, he was currently visiting his father's relatives, the Griffin Family, or rather trying to keep Asrial and Itchykoo from tearing his relatives' house down around their ears, so the Demon God Murphy had no interest in him at the moment. However, not one to be dissuaded, said Demon God turned his attention to other targets, namely a trio of students that were being led off a school bus by their foul-tempered spinster of a teacher.

"Wait right here while I check on our registration inside." Said teacher ordered, narrowing her eyes with the intensity of a laser beam at her three students "And no 'Monkey Business', or I'll have you banging erasers for the rest of your natural lives!"

"Yes Miss Grizzly…" the trio called out in unison, their tones long suffering as they watched the woman march into the mall, where the State Science Fair was being held, sighing in relief when she was out of sight.

"God!" a cheerleader with a not-so-cheerful disposition muttered, shooting a dark look after the woman's back, wishing she could put something sharp betwen those bony shoulder blades "I can't stand that old battleaxe!"

"Shh! Be careful what you say!" cautioned a young man with glasses, and a generally nerdy disposition, looking towards the battleaxe in question fearfully "I hear she has ultra-sonic hearing!"

"Phrank? What's your project about?" the second girl in the group asked, the quaint, wholesome looking girl trying to look into her classmate's box with a look of interest.

"Will you go out with me if I show you, Jesibell?" Phrank asked, smirking up at the girl as he set his box on the ground, not waiting for a reply as he whipped out his project "BEHOLD! The fantabulous remote control remote controller!" he smiled as the extendable hand, holding a TV remote, popped out of the box at the press of a button "No more getting up to look for the remote with THIS bad boy around!"

"That…has got to be…the WORST science project I have EVER seen!" the cheerleader growled, her face a mask of disgust as she fought the urge to sneer. Phrank, who took great offence at her insulting his project, would have shot back a reply had a sudden rumble in the air not drawn their eyes heavenward.

"-aaaaAAAAANZAAAAIIII!!!!"

The cheerleader gasped, only to yelp as something, or rather someone, crashed into her like a human cruise missile, knocking her off her feet in a tangle of limbs, even as Phrank's own yelp of pain cut through the air, as the teen hadn't escaped being a landing pad either.

"Wha-who the hell?!" the cheerleader growled, trying to sit up, only to blink as she realized that whoever had fallen on her hadn't gotten off yet…and that his face was currently planted between her breasts "YOU PERVERT!"

"OHMIGAWD NARU I'M SORRY!" the bespectacled man yelped, backpedaling furiouslyout of range of her fists, only to blink and look around in confusion "Ara? This isn't Hinata-Sou-!"

Whatever he was about to say was cut off as a fist smashed into his face, courtesy of his impromptu, and very pissed off, landing pad, who continued to seethe angrily as she waited for the ronin to be sent flying, only to blink as she realized two things.

One: The pervert was still standing. Two: He was completely unfazed.

"That wasn't very nice Minerva." Jesibell chastised, looking from her stunned classmate, who had never failed to send perverts flying with one hit, to the boy, or rather young man, that had landed on her "Are you alright?"

"Fine, fine." The man assured her, his face not even smudged from Minerva's full-on assault, though he did resettle his glasses tenderly "I've been hit worse, next to what I'm used to, that was a love tap."

"I'll 'love tap' you, you pervert!" Minerva snarled, her face a mask of irate embarrassment as she reeled her arm back for another haymaker, only for someone to tap her on the shoulder. The irate cheerleader spun round, intending to glare the one that interrupted her into submission, only to blink at the sight of a pair of bountiful breasts covered in fur under a limbless bodysuit, raising her gaze past the summit to find herself locking gazes with a miffed looking cat-lady.

"Cool it there princess." The were-cat ordered, her tone brooking no argument as she looked down on the cheerleader from on high "Keitaro's many things, a Klutz most of all, but pervert he ain't…" she smirked at the bespectacled man "Well…no more than usual."

"Thanks…I think…" Keitaro muttered, internally grateful that Brittany had stuck up for him, but wondering if she'd also been mocking him. Such thoughts came to an abrupt halt as a woman that reminded him of some sort of hag stalked towards them, looking irate.

"I saw that!" the bag of bones snapped, holding a finger in the air as she advanced on Brittany like the grim reaper in heels "Assaulting my students eh? Well I hope you know a good lawyer!"

"Don't get your panties in a twist ma'am, it was an accident." Brittany muttered, crossing her arms with an annoyed huff "if anything, Keitaro here should be pressing charges on little miss firecracker here. Wasn't his fault that portal tossed him right on top of her."

"Cheetah-san, that isn't necessary." Keitaro stammered, the ronin waving his hands to waylay any attention drawn towards him "I'm not hurt, if anything I'm more concerned with where we ARE."

"You're in a town called Quagmire on a planet called Earth." The calm looking girl explained with a practiced smile, as if reciting the words from memory "What Dimension do you come from?"

"And how about a date for Friday Night?!" Phrank suggested, looking hopefully at the two beauties, only to be slapped upside the head by Minerva.

"Who said we're from another dimension?" Brittany growled, the were-cat looking annoyed at the very thought as she placed both hands on her hips for emphasis "We're from Atlanta Georgia, USA!"

"I'm Gina, and this is my little sister Brittany." The scientist introduced, Brittany insisting they refer to her as 'Cheetah' while Gina nodded towards Keitaro, who was eyeing the hag warily in case she whipped a broomstick, or worse, flying monkies, out from under her skirt "And this is my assistant, Keitaro."

"I'm from Japan." The Ronin admitted, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, never having done well with introductions, and he hadn't exactly made the best first impression, though thankfully he was ignored as Gina pulled out some of her old newspaper clippings as proof of her identity.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Needless to say, after proving their humanity, Gina vowing to get another newsagent in the process, Mrs. Grizzly reluctantly decided not to press charges, provided, of course, that Gina repair Phrank's science project, which had been 'kilt' by the Diggers' Sisters using it as a landing pad, the bitter spinster leading the muttering Minerva and the curious Jesibell into the convention center to register theirs before the tables closed.

Brittany, seeing no need to stick around while there were stores to shop in, took off on a power shopping spree, dragging a reluctant Keitaro along as caddy, leaving Gina and the hormonal Phrank to puzzle out the latter's project.

As the duo raced, or slouched in the case of a certain Ronin, towards the nearest 'SNU-T Boutique', they failed to notice a pair of conspicuous figures lounging against one of the mall pillars, dressed in overcoats and fedoras, like something out of Casablanca whilst pretending to read newspapers, which did nothing to hide the face the female had horns sticking out from under her hat, or that her 'brother' was wearing some sort of black, metal face mask.

"Dertoza this is all your fault!" the horned female hissed, not liking having to sneak around like a lowly spy "If 'I' were in charge we would have defeated the Zetramen, conquered this miserable planet, and moved onto the next planet on our list LONG ago!"

"Keep it down Leiola!" the masked man hissed, holding up his paper as one of the convention 'rent-a-cop's rolled past on a stroller "You'll ruin our chance to trap Zetra-Three! My infrasensors have tracked him to this area…" he eyed their surroundings in distaste "this 'mall'…we must wait here in these clever disguises and ambush him!"

"Hmmph…some disguises…" Leiola muttered, turning her paper back to the gossip column, ignoring her brother in favor of looking over the gossip columns. Miserable or not, these humans knew how to rake up the muck.

Dertoza, not one to be brushed aside so easily, even by his brutish sibling, was about to give the horned hellion a piece of his mind when a tap on the shoulder drew his attention to the massive Mall Security Sentinel looming over them.

"THIS UNIT DETECTS UNREGISTERED ALIEN LIFEFORMS PRESENT!" the security droid reported, the massive plasma cannon on the palm of it's hand glowing as it charged up "ALIENS MUST PRODUCE 'GREEN CARD' OR THIS UNIT WILL 'SUBDUE' ALIENS WITH TEN GIGA-WATTS OF PAINFUL PLASMA ENERGY. YOU HAVE TEN SECONDS TO COMPLY."

"Quick!" Dertoza hissed, the masked villain unable to pry his eyes away from the massive plasma cannon aimed perilously close to his face as he backed into his sibling "What's a 'Green Card'?!"

"How the hell should 'I' Know?!" Leiola snapped, pushing her brother into the path of the 'painful plasma energy', just as the timer hit zero, the sentinel sending the fedora sporting man flying backwards with a taunt of 'Have a Nice Day'.

Gina and Phrank, who were just entering the mall, the former calmly informing the latter that she 'wasn't interested', warning the bespectacled teen of Spellvis' intentions, were shocked when the mask sporting villain crashed into the wall next to them, turning round to find the Sentinel blasting at Leiola, who was leaping around like an intergalactic tic to avoid being zapped.

Sadly, the Sentinel got in a lucky shot, blasting the horned villain from below, sending her sailing towards the startled duo, bringing them to the floor in a tangle of limbs and crushed science experiment.

"Aha! So you've finally come out of hiding Zetra-Three!" Leiola noted, glaring down at Phrank, who she was straddling as a result of her landing, with a mixture of anger and glee "When I'm done with you you'll wish you…" she trailed off, her eyes narrowing from anger and embarrassment at the dazed expression on the teen's face "STOP STARING AT MY BUM AND PAY ATTENTION!"

"Gina-san?" a confused voice called out, the group looking up to see a surprised Keitaro, several packages in his arms, gaping at them in shock, and a hint of embarassment "Erm…is something wrong?"

"THIS UNIT DETECTS AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT…" came the voice of the sentinel, Keitaro looking up, his eyes bulging out of his head at the sight of the iron giant looming over him, plasma cannon at the ready "IMMIGRANT IS REQUIRED TO PRODUCE 'PASSPORT' AND 'VISA' OR THIS UNIT WILL 'SUBDUE' IMMIGRANT WITH 20-GIGAWATTS OF PAINFUL PLASMA ENERGY. YOU HAVE TEN SECONDS TO COMPLY."

Keitaro, like any rational person faced with imminent pain courtesy of a giant robot would do, promptly screamed like a little girl and ran for it, tossing Brittany's packages in the air, even as the Sentinel continued to count down.

"TEN!" the iron giant declared, raising his cannon, a little too eagerly to be considered protocol, the target beacon locking onto the Ronin's retreating back "HASTA LA PASTA MEATSA-!"

Leiola, who had NOT enjoyed having her tushie zapped by PPE, not one bit, took that moment to head butt the sentinel, her horns punching through it's faceplate, toppling the metal behemoth in the direction of the escalator, only for it to halt in mid-air, supported by Zetra-Three's Air Wave.

"How're you doing that?" Gina wondered, looking on in awe as Phrank, who had shifted into his Zetraman form, kept the titan from collapsing long enough for civilians to clear the escalator "That thing has to weigh 100 tons!"

"_**100 tons???"**_ Zetra-Three stammered, turning his head to gape at the blonde, only to wince as his concentration broke, dropping the deactivated robot onto the, thankfully abandoned, escalator with a crash "Yeesh…least no-one was hurt…"

Dertoza, freshly changed into his proper attire, and packing a rather nifty new laser cannon, chose that moment to get back in the fight, unleashing a massive blast of energy that not only sent the Zetraman flying, it also caught a still panicking Keitaro in the blast as the Ronin completed his third circuit of the mall.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brittany 'Cheetah' Diggers was in a relatively good mood. True she hadn't enjoyed being shuttled magically across the Atlantic, the static was murder on her fur, but after a power shopping trip that was soon abated. What irked her, however, was that her 'caddy', namely Keitaro, had disappeared while she was trying on some underwear, leaving her to carry the goods by herself.

"Keitaro?" she called out, trying not to sound TOO miffed as she glared into the crowd, as she didn't want to scare the Ronin away after all "Where the heck are you? Get back here and gimme a-!"

Keitaro and Zetra-Three chose that moment to crash into the lycan, sending her purchases flying in all directions, Brittany glaring down at the Ronin, who's head had landed between her breasts, again.

"We have GOT to stop meeting like this." She muttered, controlling the urge to throttle the man, she'd just make him carry the luggage home later, prying him out of her cleavage and glaring at the costumed weirdo that had accompanied him "And you…get my undies off your head!"

"CHEETAH!" Gina wailed, drawing the were-cat's attention to her adopted sibling, who wasn't enjoying being used as cover for the dogfight between Dertoza and the Sentinel, which was still operational despite having Leiola sticking out of its face like an irate pimple.

"Can't I take that girl anywhere?" Cheetah complained, rushing into the thick of things, a concerned Keitaro and mortified Zetra-three on her heels "Keitaro! I'll handle the big one, you take ugly!"

"Who're you calling ugly?!" Dertoza snapped, the masked villain whipping round, a vein pulsing on his mask, and firing his laser at the lycan, just as several brightly clad figures crashed through the ceiling.

"What the hell?! The Super Sentai?!" Keitaro yelped, ducking under the flying shards of glass, his eyes wide behind his glasses as he gripped the sides of his head in frustration "What the hell is up with this mall?!"

"Hey watch it!" Cheetah yelled, the equally annoyed Lycanthrope ducking under a swipe from the 'red ranger's oversized lollipop, the costumed fighter having seemingly mistaking her for an enemy.

"I have you now!" Dertoza yelled, aiming at the Lycan, looking to take two birds down with one stone, only for Star Platinum to crush the barrel of the gun, sending Dertoza crashing into the ceiling with an uppercut to the chest.

"Hey!" the 'black ranger' called out, pointing at the startled Ronin, who'f foolishly picked up Dertoza's ruined blaster during the scuffle, marking him as an accomplice "So you're an enemy too are you? Have at you!"

"EMERALD SPLASH!"

Keitaro blinked, watching in surprise as several, crystallized blasts of plasma sent the costumed baka flying, turning to regard a grinning Gina, whose Stand was currently holding out it's hands, having launched the attack that saved him.

"Got your back, Kei!" the genius assured him, before yelping and rolling out of the path of the 'Yellow Ranger's spoon, the woman not taking to kindly to her blasting her teammate.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While all this was going on, Spellvis chose that exact moment to warp in on the scene, a smug look on his face as he watched the panicking people run away from him in terror.

'Heh Lookit 'em run,' he preened, standing there in a dastardly pose 'Obviously scared of mah-Wait…who turned off the…oh no…'

The Sentinel, which had been tripped up as a result of Minerva kicking the recumbent Treat-5 into it's foot for wrecking her project, came down on the spell caster like a tonne of reinforced metal and circuitry. The resulting explosion obscured everyone from view, leaving them groping around in the smoke for a few seconds, which led to some awkward encounters.

"I'm sorry!" Keitaro yelped, ducking and rolling to avoid an irate Treat-3, who he'd unintentionally goosed while stumbling around in a daze.

Cheetah, meanwhile, was warding off an assault from Treat-1, who refused to believe that she wasn't some other 'cat woman' that apparently had a reputation as a villain, apparently to focused on making 'the bat' owe him one.

"Watch out!" Gina yelled, her Stand lashing out with another blast of crystallized plasma, warding off Treat-2's attempted sneak attack on her sibling with a silver spoon "Nobody ambushes my baby sister!"

"Treat-1 call it off!" Zetra-Three called out, the steam powered superhero coming up and grabbing the larger crime fighter by the shoulder, trying to make him see reason "These two are civilians!"

"Yeah right!" Treat-1 muttered, though he did back down. He'd never really liked the Zetramen, mainly because they'd been formed by a rival of his employer's scientist, but Zetra-Three had always had a sore spot, mainly because one of his own team was infatuated with the nerd.

Speaking of which, Treat-3, hearing her crush's name, promptly gave up trying to give Keitaro a candy-cane enema and skipped up to the Zetraman, holding out an autograph pad for him to sign, leaving Keitaro to catch his breath.

Spellvis, of course, chose that moment to revive in a blaze of power, having not taken to kindly to having a hundred tons of robot dropped on him. The entrance was ruined, however, by Dertoza and Leiola's backup teleporting in, kick starting a free-for-all of epic proportions.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gee...Ain't I a stinker?

Gonna have to wait a bit if you want the next installment folks. Sorry.

R&R!!

* * *


	16. Chapter 16

Yet another Update for Sketchfan's outoto.

Brit: He'd better appreciate these.

Gina: (Huggles Keitaro's right) I do!

Bri: (Huggles his left) Me Too!

Kei: (Weeping) I'm in mashmallow hell...

* * *

Chapter 16.

"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA-!" Star Platinum bellowed, lashing out with a manic leer on its face, sending throngs of Dearthos flying in all directions, While Keitaro tried to avoid tripping over their battered corpses.

"Sheesh! Four eyes' got some moves!" Treat-5 muttered, feeling a little intimidated by what appeared to be a four-eyed geek pummeling the drones with his mind, since he couldn't see the Ronin's stand. Not that Dearthos were any REAL threat, more punching bags with legs really, but it still unnerved him at how easily the otherwise unimpressive geek dealt with them.

"Eyes front Treat-5!" Treat-1 snapped, though in all honesty he was a little impressed, albeit grudgingly so, of the Ronin's prowess himself. He'd never admit it of course, but watching the Ronin send Dearthos flying without laying a hand on them was pretty darn cool.

"Look out!" Zetra-Three yelled, rolling out of the way as Baug, one of the giant monsters of the week that Dertoza had shipped in, launched a Wave-Motion Spitball at the center of the group with the force of a meteorite, sending the combatants flying in all directions in a bid to avoid being blasted.

Spellvis, protected by the blast by a magical shield spell, set his mind to the task of taming another of the monsters, a fire-breathing heavy called Zorch, hypnotizing the brute before turning it's flames against everyone else, cackling manically the entire time as he rode it like a steed.

"Gina-san!" Keitaro, yelped, rushing over to assist the scientist, who while safe behind her force field, had still been knocked off her feet by the blast, only to blink as he came face to breastplate with an armored figure, looking up to find Leiola grinning down at him excitedly "Erm…hi?"

"You! You seem pretty strong for such a runt!" the horned villainess noted, ripping her cloak off and grinning excitedly at the prospect of a proper fight, having witnessed the Ronin tossing the Dearthos around like rag dolls earlier "I challenge you!"

"EH?!?!" Keitaro yelped, leaning back out of the path of a sword swipe that still tore his shirt open from hip to shoulder "WAIT!" he stammered, eyes tearing up in desperation as he waved under the strikes, using his experience from Motoko's numerous attempts on his life to good use "CAN'T WE TALK ABOUT THIS?!"

"TALK IS FOR THE WEAK!" Leiola cackled, her sword blurring around her like an intergalactic blender as she tried to sever the Ronin's limbs "NOW STAND YOUR GROUND!"

"ORA!"

Leiola cursed as Star Platinum's invisible fist shattered her sword, leaving her holding the broken hilt in her trembling, numbed hands "You little bastard!" she snarled, eyes blazing with vengeance as she rounded on the rightfully terrified Ronin "That was my favorite sword!"

"I'm sorry?!" Keitaro stammered, backpedaling nervously, his hands held up before him in a bid to placate the woman, a gesture that never seemed to work no matter how many times he'd used it. He'd never been okay with hitting women before, and still felt disgusted with himself for what he'd done to Jetta at El Dorado. But if things kept up as they were he wasn't certain he could reign in Star Platinum's desire to smash everything in sight that looked remotely threatening. Hell he wasn't certain he'd WANT to stop it.

"If you're sorry then STAND STILL AND LET ME CRUSH YOU!" Leiola snarled, the horned amazon lunging for the Ronin with her hands outstretched, only to blink as a furry form tackled her from the side.

"Tag out Keitaro!" Brittany yelled, an excited smirk on her face as the Were-Cheetah supplexed the startled Leiola into the mall floor, cracking the ground beneath her "Horn head's mine! Go help out Gina!"

"R-Right!" Keitaro agreed, the ronin turning on his heel and racing off to find the blonde, wincing as Leiola's death threats washed over him, only to be knocked off his feet as the 'Treat Men's 'Twirl-Wind Pyramid' fired up, the miniature tornado knocking Zorch back.

Dertoza, who had been crowing over a captured Jesibell, was not amused at having his Dirt-doing interrupted, and had the whole thing detonated with another of Baug's spitballs, causing the Sentai wannabes flying, the two females crashing into the hapless Ronin in a tangle of limbs.

'Why me?' the Ronin muttered, as the two female Sentai fighters started yelling at him for holding them in such a fashion 'Why always me?'

* * *

"EMERALD SPLASH!" Gina yelled, her Stand knocking down the Deartho drones by the dozen alongside Minerva, who seemed to be enjoying herself, and Zetra-Three, occasionally taking potshots at Spellvis while the portly spell caster was occupied with the Treat-Men "This is Kinda fun!"

"I just took out ten of them with that last group!" Zetra-Three boasted, the steam-powered superhero smirking over his shoulder at Minerva, who was standing back to back with him as they fended off the cannon fodder "How many did you get?"

"Thirty!" the cheerleader countered, catching her hula-hoop as it flew back into her hand, having tossed it like a boomerang at the Deartho horde, wiping them out in an impressive display of gymnastic's skills and brute force.

"HAH! I got you both beat!" Gina smirked, the scientist/archaeologist blasting into the horde with one of her portable hand cannons, whilst her Stand pelted them with Emerald Plasma "I just topped fifty!"

"Hold it right there!" Dertoza called out, drawing the trio's attention to the man, who was looking decidedly smug despite having watched his troops get mowed down by a bunch of pesky kids, and their not so little kitty. The reason for his confidence became all too clear as they saw him standing before Baug, who was holding a terrified Jesibell up to his stomach maw.

"Now then Zetra-Three," the fedora sporting villain sneered, his face triumphant behind his mask "Either you surrender yourself to me," he pointed up at the terrified Jesibell "or Baug here has the hostage for a light snack!"

"Take him, he's yours." Minerva muttered, looking honestly nonplussed, despite the look of confusion she received from Dertoza, and the exasperated looks she was getting from the other two "What? Better this perv dies than my pal!"

"Not too cheery for a cheerleader are you?" Gina muttered, Zetra-Three muttering something along the lines of 'Got THAT right', earning a glare from the girl "Listen, you two distract the monster while 'I' rescue Jesibell."

"And how're you gonna do that?" Minerva asked, only to sigh as Zetra-Three charged the monster, racing after the pervy nerd, figuring that she might as well do SOMETHING to help. At least SHE wouldn't demand a date out of it in return.

"FOOLS?!" Dertoza snapped, initially thrown for a loop by their audacity "I NEVER MAKE IDLE THREATS!" So saying he gestured to Baug, who opened its maw eagerly to consume the terrified teen, only to pull up short.

"What's the matter with you?!" Dertoza snapped, glaring up at the frozen behemoth, which seemed to be struggling against invisible restraints, cursing as it allowed Zetra-Three to catch their hostage out of the air "Dammit! What did you do?!"

"Oh nothing." Gina stated, posing confidently with hre hand on hre hip and her blaster in hand, as her Stand tightened its coils around Baug's massive form like a straightjacket "Just made sure your pal there can't move."

"Interfering WENCH!" Dertoza snarled, lunging forwards with his hands outstretched to throttle the trillby-sporting genius, only to be knocked ass over teakettle by a giant silver spoon hurled at his face like a javelin.

"Thanks Kei!" Gina cheered, waving at the Ronin, who'd hurled the piece of cutlery via Star Platinum, only to blink as Cheetah and Leiola soared past, her baby sister, smashing the woman's head into the ground again "Jinkies Cheetah! Isn't the patented super-air-slam a bit much?"

"Nope." Cheetah grinned, dusting off her hands as she smirked down at Leiola's trembling tush "You had enough, or do you want me to get rough?"

Leiola's answer was to summon one of her minions, a robotic creature that seemed to be staring at her tush a lot, bathing in a beam of energy that not only energized her, but made her grow to almost ten feet in height, not including the horns.

"Now then…my puny, seven foot, feline opponent…" she chuckled, hands on her armored hips as she sneered down at the stunned Lycanthrope, steam still rising off her armor from the transformation "shall we continue our duel?"

"You gotta ask?" Cheetah smirked, theLycanthrope lighting into the woman with a series of supersonic punches worthy of a certain seven-scarred martial artist, only for Leiola, with virtually no strain, to grab her fists out of mid-air "Uh-oh…"

* * *

"You okay Jesibell?" Zetra-Three asked, the steam-powered superhero setting the girl on her feet gently, surprisingly NOT copping a feel in the process despite Minerva's suspicions "Easy there, you had quite an encounter."

"And it's about to get worse!" Dertoza growled, putting the hero in a headlock from behind. The villain was NOT in a good mood, primarily because of everything that had happened today, but mainly because he'd just been beaned over the head by a TEASPOON of all things. Right now he wanted nothing more than to beam home, toss Zetra-Three in a holding cell, then relax to his private Jacuzzi for some R&R "Mr. Culu!" he snapped into his communicator "Two to beam UGH!"

"Huh?" Phrank wondered, the bespectacled nerd's helmet having come off during the scuffle, the Zetraman watching in surprise as Dertoza went down, courtesy of a fireball to the back of his head "Who was-WOWZA?!"

"No need fa thanks babeh!" the shapely brunette in an Elvis outfit assured him, winking saucily, her southern accent sending the hormonal teen right over the edge "Ah just couldn't let him take you away before Ah have mah way with you." She leaned in close, a seductive smile on her face "C'mere lil Dahlin…y'all got just what ah need…!"

"Don't do it Zetra-Three!" Treat-3 called out, drawing the teen's attention from the bodacious babe to see the Treat-men posing over a defeated Zorch "That's Spellvis! I saw her…I mean HIM change into that floozy after he sicced that monster on us!"

"CURSES!" Spellvis snarled, shifting form back to his portly self, scarring poor Phrank for life in the process "So y'all saw through mah illusions eh? Well as grandpappy used tah say, if deception don't work, there's always good ole BRUTE FORCE!"

"Not while WE'RE here you're not!" Treat-1 countered, the Red Treatman stashing his camera somewhere out of sight behind his spandex clad frame, the Sentai-wannabe's getting set to charge the villain, only to pull up short as his pager went off.

"Treat-1! This is Rival-san Lendo, your boss!" an irate looking teen yelled over the sounds of rampant destruction in the background "One of doctor Hossenfeffer's Genetic Experiments has broken loose! I need you and your Hyper-Treat Ninja Skills to stop it!"

"Man!" Treat-2 moaned, sounding decidedly put out as the Treat-Men huddled together to teleport back, several of them actually muttering decidedly unpleasant things under their breath regarding their employer "This blows, we were winning!"

"I know," Treat-1 sighed, the red-clad leader of the Treatmen honestly wishing he could just ignore the whiny, overdramatic little punk's order, just this once "But he's the one that signs our pay checks!"

"What about Spellvis?" Treat-4 asked, the blue clad Treatman looking over in the direction of the exasperated Phrank and smug looking spell caster, who pulling off a pretty decent levitation for such a fatass.

"Zetra-3 can handle him." Treat-1 muttered dismissively, honestly not really caring what happened to the little nerd, hell if he was kidnapped, he might even throw the fatass a party, before reaching into his belt and tossing a smoke bomb at the ground "NINJA TELEPORT!"

"Now I remember why I can never really rely on those guys…" Phrank muttered, cursing Rival-san Lendo and his non-existent sense of timing to the depths of heck and beyond, even as Spellvis chuckled ominously.

* * *

While all this was going on, Brittany was getting her tail handed to her, courtesy of a cackling Leiola, who was enjoying this turn of events a little too much. But when your head had been used to punch holes in concrete, could you blame the woman for wanting a little payback?

"That's a nice looking fur coat you have there." She complimented, driving her knee into the Lycan's midriff "Smooth, silky, soft, sleek AND stunning!" she grabbed her opponent under the arms, raising her above her head "I think I'll have your hide turned into a fetching fur jacket with matching cap!"

"ORA!"

Leiola squawked as a fist slammed into her face, sending her and Cheetah toppling to the floor, the latter landing on her head, while Leiola rolled to her feet with a snarl, eyes glaring at the surroundings for her assailant "Who...YOU?!"

"Leave Cheetah-san alone!" Keitaro snapped, the ronin standing before the horned horror, honestly surprised at his own daring, Star Platinum hovering behind him, the amazon stand's spiked fists held at the ready.

"Hoh? Developed some stones have we?" Leiola smirked, the ten foot, armor clad warrior lunging in with her fist drawn back, a light of eagerness and battle-lust in her eyes "Bring it on four eyes!"

'Fast!' Keitaro gulped, watching the oncoming fist in amazement 'As Fast as Cheetah-san's punches!' he titled his head out of the way, using Star Platinum's arm to divert the course of the blow, flinching as it still opened a cut on his cheek 'Strong too! Easily stronger than anything Naru ever threw at me!'

Surprisingly, rather than feeling terror at this revelation, Keitaro felt something akin to HUNGER. It was like something inside him was eager to be facing off against such a monster, something alien, and at the same time, familiar.

Keitaro couldn't identify it, but for some reason he wanted to HURT this woman that dared assault him more than anything he'd ever wanted before, something that Star Platinum, violent enough on its own, was all to eager to accommodate.

Leiola, who had fully intended to take the Ronin's head off with the first punch, was shocked when he dodged the blow, only to choke as somethin rammed into her ribs with enough force to buckle her armor. She staggered backwards, holding her gut and trying to keep from tossing her cookies, only for another blow to land in her chin, followed by another…and another…

Cheetah, who was sitting up, holding her head, looked around to see what had happened to her opponent, only to blink as she caught sight of Keitaro wailing on the woman, her fir bristling as she caught sight of the Ronin's eyes. 'Not good!' she gaped, rising shakily to her feet at the sight of those golden, slit-pupiled eyes 'it's like that time with Jetta! He's gone berserk!'

* * *

"T-TIME OUT!" Leiola stammered, her arms raised in a defensive stance as she tried to absorb the blows, her armor slowly becoming a dented mess under the sheer multitude of attacks being rained down on her "This can't be! My armor's supposed to be invincible! Nothing should be able to hurt me!"

"Nothing's invincible…" Keitaro intoned darkly, his eyes glowing with a sinister light, a dark smirk that was more at home on his sibling's face adorning his own as he grabbed the woman's horns "Let me show you…"

Leiola screamed and lashed out, only for Keitaro's head to rush forwards, their skulls cracking together with an audible crunch. Leiola's head snapped back, a dazed expression on her face that changed to one of alarm as two hands wrapped around her neck, pushing her to the floor on her back, before slowly tightening, cutting off her oxygen.

"How's it feel, hmm?" the Ronin asked, his upper face covered in shadow, save for his glowing golden eyes, which danced with a light of madness "just because you're armor's invincible you think you are? All it means is that you've come wrapped in your burial gear."

Leiola choked, trying to force the Ronin's hands from her neck, only to find that his grip was infinitely stronger than it looked, and growing stronger by the second. Her feet lashed out, kicking desperately as she fought to get him off her, a meaningless effort, as the Ronin was currently sitting on her stomach.

"Hmm…this is rather nice…" the Ronin noted, his dark smile stretching wider across his features "Usually I'm the one begging for mercy at this point…" the smile faded for an instant, replaced with a scowl that terrified the woman beneath him "so this is what those bitches must've felt every time they cornered me…"

"P-plz…" Leiola gasped, pawing futilely at the man's hands, throat working desperately to draw in air "Lemme…go…ck!"

"Hm? Oh no, I don't think so." The Ronin muttered, his tone mildly disapproving as he tightened his grip, leaning down into the terrified woman's face, giving her a good long look at his glowing yellow eyes "You and that masked freak attacked Gina and Cheetah," he muttered, his eyes encompassing Leiola's field of vision "I need to teach you exactly what it means to mess with what's MINE."

"Keitaro!" Cheetah yelled coming up behind the Ronin, trying to yank him off the feebly twitching Leiola, only to blink at how HARD it was to do so. It was like that time she'd had to pull limpets off Gina's Gina mobile with her bare hands, as Gina didn't trust ANY sharp objects near her baby's hull "Snap out of it Kei! You're killing her!"

Keitaro spasmed, his eyes widening, fading back to their usual, warm chocolate color, before looking down at his hands, as if seeing them for the first time. He yelped, releasing Leiola's throat and dropping the woman to the floor, where she collapsed in boneless heap, coughing air back into her stricken lungs. "What…was…I…" the Ronin wondered, looking at his trembling hands in confusion, before turning to gape at Cheetah in fear "Cheetah-san…what did I!"

"Cheetah! Keitaro!" Gina called out, drawing the duo's attention tow where she, Minerva, and Phrank, were holding off an enraged Baug, who'd broken free of his restraints, and Spellvis, who was doing his merry best to kill the Zetraman, having decided that the spell didn't need the teen ALIVE to bequeath him ultimate power.

"I swear…" Cheetah muttered, sighing at the messes her sister managed to get herself into "Every time I turn my back…" she shook her head and got to her feet "C'mon Kei, we gotta save that 'genius' sister of mine. AGAIN."

"But…" Keitaro stammered, the ronin looking down at the prone form of Leiola, who was more concerned with breathing at the minute than whatever was going on around her "What about her? We can't just..."

"Leave her." Cheetah muttered, shooting the downed woman a dark glare "I don't think she's stupid enough to try her luck again."

Sending an uncertain look towards the horned woman, Keitaro turned on his heel and followed after the Lycan, leaving Leiola alone, broken and defeated.

* * *

"Minerva!" Gina yelled, the trillby sporting scientist/archaeologist crouching near the not-so-cheery cheerleader as she landed from leaping out of the path of yet another of Baug's wave-motion spit ball attacks.

"I'm fine!" the cheerleader assured the scientist, though judging from the sweat adorning her brow, and the look of mild panic on her face, that last escape had been a little TOO close for comfort "How're we gonna stop that BAUG monster?"

Baug, as if sensing that he had the group on the ropes, seeing as Phrank was tied up dealing with Spellvis' attempt on his life, chuckled darkly as it launched another one of it's cosmic loogies at the group, hoping to have revenge on Gina for interrupting it's earlier snack.

"ORA!"

Star Platinum's fist put an end to THAT ambition, the Stand lashing out at light speed, sending the flaming spitball away from the startled scientist as Keitaro grabbed her from behind, holding her close out of instinct.

The spitball, blasting off course through the sheer force of Star platinum's blow, took the unexpecting Spellvis completely by surprise, detonating against his back in a fiery explosion worthy of several crates of dynamite.

"WOOHOO! Base Hit!" Frank cheered, applauding his fellow four-eyes' achievement, grateful for the assist, albeit unintentional "You ever think of trying for the majors?"

Keitaro's reply was cut short by the reappearance of Spellvis, who did NOT look at all pleased at having his trademark polyester suit deep-fried by toxic alien loogies. No sir.

"HOW DARE Y'ALL BAST ME WITH A FLAMIN' SPIT BALL?!" the psychotic poser snarled, his fists snapping forwards as he delivered a blast of concussive magical force, little more than untamed magical energy, at the group "TAKE THAT!"

Keitaro grit his teeth, hugging Gina close to his chest as Star platinum crossed its arms before them, the Stand taking the brunt of the attack as the beam bore down on them. He coughed, blood trickling from his mouth from the impact, as even Star Platinum's mighty strength couldn't absorb all of the damage, the Ronin dropping to his knees with a groan as his Stand faded, out cold.

"Keitaro!" Gina gasped, kneeling alongside the Ronin, eyes widening at the sight of the blood trailing from his lips, her eyes narrowing as she espied Baug coming up from behind, another Spitball primed to fire "Oh no you don't!" she snapped, holding the Ronin's head close to her chest, her other hand pointing at the monster "EMERALD SPLASH!"

Gina's stand materialized, sending a hail of emerald plasma at the monster, several of the gems impacting inside the ridiculous straw Baug used to fire his spitballs, detonating the one he'd primed for launch right in the startled monstrosity's face.

Baug howled, tossing aside the damaged straw with a look of fury on it's face, a light beginning to glow from it's fanged, claw-like hands as it stepped up to the plate, towering over the blonde scientist and unconscious Ronin like something out of a bad Godzilla movie.

"Uh…sorry?" Gina offered, sweat dropping at the sight, of the acidic drool that was leaking out of the creature's stomach-maw, shivering slightly as she espied Spellvis hovering behind them, the spell caster having apparently decided to take care of the Phrank's 'entourage' before turning his attention to the teen himself "Uh-oh…"

"Nighty-night babeh!" Spellvis snarled, his fists glowing with energy a he thrust them forward in a full on blast of power, easily ten times stronger than the one he'd used earlier. Baug, at that same moment, thrust out its maw-like right hand to fire a beam of energy of equal force, the two blasts bearing down on the duo from both sides.

"HIEROPHANT GREEN!" Gina yelled, her hand snapping up into the air, even as her Stand's arm uncoiled, lashing up onto the railings, before pulling the duo out of the blast range, leaving the two beams of destructive force with nothing to collide with but each other.

FUBAR

* * *

"Whew!" Gina whistled, watching the explosive, pyrotechnic display unfurl below with a sense of relief, holding Keitaro to her chest with one arm, the other holding onto her stand "Glad we weren't caught up in THAT."

Spellvis and Baug, who weren't as fortunate as the duo, were sent flying backwards as the explosion knocked them through the air, the would-be 'King' crashing into the far wall, sliding down it with an audible squeaking noise, before collapsing face first onto the unforgiving ground, his once sparkling polyester suit reduced to little more than scraps of torn cloth across his bulky frame. Baug hadn't fared any better than his human counterpart, in fact, being the larger target, and thus unable to be blasted out of harms way by the shockwave, the monster had to endure the brunt of the explosion, and had been practically deep-fried as a result, falling to the floor with an audible crash, putting another crater in the already pock-marked floor, loosing a long, pitiably drawn out moan of 'Baaaauuuggghhhh…' as it lay there in a battered, smoking heap.

"Mmmm…wha?" Keitaro muttered, rousing from his impromptu slumber, blinking in confusion at the strange feeling of weightlessness, only to startle as he came eye to eye with Gina's baby-blues.

"Awake are we?" Gina asked, the trillby sporting blonde smiling gently down at the confused Ronin, noting, not for the first time, how adorable he looked when he didn't know what was going on around him "You alright, Kei?"

"Gina-san?" Keitaro stammered, the ronin looking into the woman's baby-blus in confusion, only to blink, his face turning an interesting shade of magenta as he realized just what his face was pressing into "ACK! I'm sorry!"

"Easy! Relax Keitaro!" Gina insisted, stumbling in mid-air as she tried to keep the thrashing Ronin from slipping out of her grip "It's alright! Trust me! It's a long way down!"

Keitaro blinked, looking down in confusion, only to yelp at the sight of the devastation below, tightening his grip around the blonde's torso, earning an approving grunt from Gina, who didn't mind at all.

"Quite a grip you've got there, Kei." She commented, smiling flatteringly at the confused Ronin "And don't think I forgot about earlier either…"

Keitaro blushed, recalling how he'd held the woman to his chest to protect her from Baug's assault, and the following attack from Spellvis that had rendered him unconscious. Before he could offer an apology though, he felt Gina's stand wrap around them, holding them together while Gina's hand tilted his head up to look her in the eyes.

"Thanks, Kei." The blonde offered, smiling at the Ronin as she pressed her lips against his, Keitaro's eyes widening from the contact, before relaxing into the kiss, the rest of the world fading into the background.

* * *

"Gawd…any excuse…" Brittany muttered, hands on her hips as she watched the duo lip-lock in the rafters, a bemused smirk on her face as she shook her head "Not that I'm one to talk, if it were me and 'Muffin' we'd be doing a lot more than kiss though…"

"You were pretty good yourself there at the end Phrank." Minerva noted, looking over at the bespectacled hero with a grudging smile on her face as she comforted a woozy Minerva "You didn't even try anything funny!"

"Well there's a time and place for messing about…" Phrank muttered, rubbing the back of his neck, as he wasn't used to the, temperamental, make that homicidal, but still undeniably pretty cheerleader praising him.

"Still, that was rather clever of them." Jesibell noted, the only normal one of the group looking up at the snogging duo with a faint blush on her cheeks as she smiled "Tricking the enemy into attacking themselves…"

"I'll say!" Phrank whistled, a grin on his face as he gave Spellvis a kick in the fork for the road, earning a weak grunt from the spell caster "Now what say we scram before they make us clean up this mess?"

"I think they're gonna be a while." Brittany muttered, a knowing smirk on her face as she watched Keitaro's face turn blue, as Gina wasn't the type to let go until she was finished getting what she wanted.

Unnoticed, or simply forgotten by the heroes, and glad for it, Leiola's robotic servant Borakk waddled over to the prone form of Dertoza, who raised his head from feigning unconsciousness to glare at Phrank's back.

"B-Borakk…" the villain coughed, battered, bruised, and not wanting to stick around the god-forsaken mall any longer "Activate-cough-Transport Beam…Get us-cough-out of here!"

Borakk obliged, having enjoyed coming through the battle unscathed, and not wanting to tempt fate any further by sticking around. The transport beam clicked into action, beaming up the recumbent forms of the Dearthos, the smoking form of Baug, the 'Iced' form of Zorch, and the battered Dertoza and Leiola, who'd been gaping up at the snogging duo with a distant expression.

And not a moment too soon, for no sooner had they ported out, did the police, summoned almost an hour ago by the sounds of battle, FINALLY showed up.

* * *

"Jinkies…" Gina exclaimed, having lowered herself and a gasping Keitaro, who'd begun to turn blue around the edges, to the ground as the police read Spellvis his rights "I guess that about does it. Too bad about your science fair though…"

"Are you kidding?" Minerva exclaimed, an incredulous look on her face, while Phrank and Keitaro swapped email addresses, the younger four-eyes wanting to keep in touch with the college man "This was the best Science Fair we've had in a long time! The whole mall was trashed my Lava-Monsters from Mercury during the LAST one…"

"AHAH!" a horribly familiar voice called out, the group turning to find Miss Grizzly striding towards them purposefully, looking for all the world like a hag on the hunt "I THOUGHT something was horribly amiss around here!" the woman snarled, earning exasperated looks from the rest, who eyed the smoking, crater strewn mall with disbelief "Minerva, Phrank, Jesibell! You all have Detention FOREVER!" the woman instructed, holding up her finger for emphasis "And I don't even care if this mess is your fault or not!"

"That isn't fair!" Keitaro exclaimed, the ronin stepping forward out of protest, only to yelp and hide behind an annoyed, if slightly bemused Brittany, as Grizzly leveled a glare at him that could strip paint from a wall.

"And as for YOU miss Diggers," the hag hissed, pointing at the annoyed scientist for emphasis "I'll see to it PERSONALLY that the proper authorities have you drawn, quartered and burned at the stake! And furthermore-eh?"

The group blinked, watching as Grizzly, a look of alarm on her face, faded out of view, leaving them gaping at the spot she'd vacated in alarm. "Gina-san…" Keitaro spoke up, removing his glasses and wiping his eyes carefully, as if to make sure he wasn't seeing things "Did you do that?"

"And can you teach me how?" Minerva asked, sighing at the scientist's insistence that she hadn't done a thing, and resisting the ruge to join in with Phrank's singing of 'ding-dong the witch is dead!' in the background "Whatever, wherever she is, I hope she STAYS there!"

* * *

Dertoza groaned, honestly considering shoving the nagging harpy they'd beamed up out the airlock as she ranted on about how she was going to haul them up in front of a tribunal, dusting erasers for the rest of their lives. Bad enough they'd goofed up the teleporter in the first place, but the damned thing had blown out during the transfer, so they were stuck here with her for the next two months.

The only thing that made the insufferable situation any better was the fact that Leiola wasn't mocking him for his failure like she usually did.

Leiola, her arm in a sling and her horned helmet removed, was standing at the window, gazing down at the distant blue planet below, a strange expression on her face.

"Kei…taro…" she muttered, recalling the name of the bespectacled warrior that had given her the harshest thrashing of her life, rubbing her neck, where the bruises from his hands remained, a strange, warm feeling rising up from the pit of her stomach.

* * *

And so the quagmire arc draws to a close.

Just what is it that's making Keitaro lash out so violently, outside the walls of Hinata-sou?

And why is it, verywhere he goes, he seems to pick up a few admirers.

Keitaro: And why are they all shapely foreigners?

Gina: What's the matter kei? You don't like?

Keitaro: Call it lingering muscle memory of bein punsihed by hotties for daring to dream.

Brianna: We can fix that...

Kyugan: (Deadpan) Put the ropes away.

R&R for more!


	17. Chapter 17

First update of the new year, hope you like!

Gina & Brianna: (Snuggling with kei) We do!!!

Keitaro: (Face between cleavage) Can't...Breath!

* * *

Chapter 17.

"Now then…" the psychiatrist sighed, sitting before two of his hardest cases ever, eternally grateful for the reinforced, bulletproof glass separating him from them. Straight jackets or no, he wanted nothing to do with people associated with Urashima Hina "What do you see here?"

"A pervert." Naru muttered, her red hair frazzled and bags under her eyes as she glared at the indecipherable ink blot that looked, to the doctor at least, more like a butterfly than anything else "He's molesting a schoolgirl."

"I see." The psychiatrist muttered, shaking his head and switching to another slide, this one depicting an inkblot that looked, in his professional opinion, like a rather sketchy sunflower, from the right angle "And this?"

"A vile male whose head as been smashed in and brains scattered across the pavement." Motoko muttered, the kendo-ka looking no better off than Naru, her once flawless ebony locks frazzled and unkempt.

'Where in the hell did Hina-dono find these freaks?' the professor muttered, used to dealing with the Urashima clan's dirty laundry, but never anything this weird.

As it were, both Motoko and Naru had been under his care for several weeks now, as Hina was determined to have the 'rehabilitated' before her grandson's return. Quite Frankly, the doctor thought the two were lost causes, figuring it would be better to lock them up and throw away the key, rather than admit them back into society with their level of psychological issues. He'd said as much to the woman's granddaughter, only for Haruka to shrug, and tell him to take it up with Hina herself.

Not that he WOULD mind you. He enjoyed breathing far too much to want to experience doing so through a tube.

"And this?' he asked, shaking his head with a sigh, resigning himself to repressing these memories through the tried and tested method of going on a week long bender, holding up a picture that looked like two people, neither male nor female, kissing.

"KEITARO YOU PERVERT!" Naru snarled, lunging out of the seat, only to collapse as the shock collar around her neck dropped her like a bad habit, leaving her twitching on the floor, hair spiked out in all directions.

"Five minutes…she's improving." The Doctor muttered, writing the number down on his clipboard, though he failed to see how a tolerance level of Five minutes was any improvement over her old, instantaneous outbursts. "Now then." He continued, holding up another slide for Motoko to see, only to blink as the girl's panicked screams filled the air, turning it over before moaning in exasperation.

"Nurse, fetch me Aoyama's sedatives," he called out, speaking into the intercom as he watched the girl try to climb the walls, doing rather well considering her amrs were tied behind her back by the straight-jacket she was wearing "and next time, when I tell you to remove ALL the slides that can be interpreted as Turtles, I mean ALL of them."

* * *

Keitaro whistled to himself, chopping vegetables on the counter as he whipped up a quick lunch for everyone, listening to a cassette Gina and Brianna had made him, containing lecture notes from his online course at Harvard.

It had been several weeks since he, Gina and Brittany had gotten back from Quagmire, and things had settled down considerably at the Diggers' home. The girls had gone off on a mall run, leaving Keitaro and Genn to their own devices. The Rakshasa was currently off playing tennis with Tark and Mesha, while Keitaro had decided to surprise the Diggers' by whipping up something to eat.

True, he had nothing on Shinobu-chan, whose culinary greatness could bring an empire to its knees, but he was pretty confident in his ability to whip up a light snack.

He was interrupted from his musings as the sound of racing feet caught his attention, turning round only to yelp as Brianna came skidding into the kitchen on her back, crashing into the Ronin's ankles, causing him to fall on top of her as Brittany skidded to a halt by the cupboard.

"Hey there Kei." The younger Diggers' sibling greeted, smiling guiltily, though not unduly so, down at the ronin lying on her chest, while Brittany foraged through the closet for Gina's hidden can of tuna "Miss me?"

"Um…hi Brianna-san." Keitaro stammered, the ronin's face resting quite comfortably between the woman's ample cleavage, noting with trepidation that her hands were inching ever so slowly towards his pants.

"Hey! Where's the tuna?!" Brittany demanded, the irate were-cheetah pulling her head out from under the sink, having failed to locate the tinned treasure, only to pause, sniffing the air with a frown, before glaring down at Keitaro suspiciously "Keitaro…"

"I didn't eat it!" Keitaro swore, even as Brianna sniffed him curiosuly, the younger catgirl catching the faint hint of tuna about his person "I was making a snack for everyone and stumbled across some tuna! I used it to make a tuna salad!"

"Really?" the siblings chimed, blinking in surprise as Keitaro pointed in the direction of the fridge, Brittany opening it to reveal a bowl of tuna, lettuce and celery goodness waiting for them, covered in cling-wrap.

"Wow…good on you Keitaro…" Brittany applauded, turning to smile at the Ronin, only to sigh and shake her head at the sight of Brianna nuzzling the poor man to her bosom, cooing about how 'considerate' he was "Ease up there Bri, he might be immortal, but he needs to breath sometime."

Brianna pouted, but nonetheless released the Ronin, who took in a large, grateful breath of air as he extracted himself from marshmallow hell.

"Gah! Air!" the Ronin gasped, taking in sweet mouthfuls of oxygen, his blush dieing down by the second, making a mental note to never come between a Diggers and her tuna "Oh yeah!" he recalled, looking up at the elder cat-girl "Cheetah-san, Stripe-san called earlier looking for you, he said he'd ring back…"

The sound of Gina's Trans-Communicator ringing drew the were-cat away like greased lightning, more eager to chat with her muffin than chow down on Tuna, though it was a near thing, leaving Keitaro and Brianna alone in the kitchen.

"So how was the mall?" the Ronin asked, turning back to the vegetables he was chopping by the sink, as Brianna picked herself off the floor "Did you find anything you liked-!"

He trailed off as a pair of arms enveloped him from behind, two large mounds pressing into the back of his neck, causing him to break out in a cold sweat. "Oh I found something alright…" Brianna purred, her voice laced with suggestion as she let her hands trail down his chest to his pants "And I like it a lot…"

"Brianna-san…!" Keitaro stammered, the sound coming out as a choked squeak as the flustered ronin fought to keep from slicing his own fingers off from the shock "We-We really shouldn't be doing-!"

"Shouldn't be doing this here?" Brianna teased, smiling as she spoke directly into the stammering Ronin's ear, her hand slipping round his waist to grip the front of his pants "This guy doesn't seem to think so…"

"Bri? You in here?" Gina called out, Brianna sighing at the interruption, releasing the Ronin after giving him a peck on the cheek, stepping back to lean against the counter, just as the eldest Diggers' sibling entered "You better not be eating my Tuna!"

"Keitaro already beat us to it sis." Brianna assured her sibling, the youngest Diggers' winking in the direction of the flushing Ronin, who was trying to compose himselfafter her little fondling session "He whipped us up a tuna salad for a snack."

"I love tuna salad!" Gina exclaimed, her baby blues widening gratefully as she walked up to the Ronin, kissing him on the other cheek with a grateful smile, intentionally pressing her breasts against his arm "Thanks Kei, I was feeling peckish."

"Don't mention it." the Ronin assured her, still a little flustered by how openly affectionate the siblings were, flinching as Gina snuck in a pinch to his buttocks before walking over to the table to set out the plates.

"That was Muffin on the Communicator." Brittany revealed, coming back into the kitchen just as they were setting things out to be eaten "He wanted to know when to expect us, I told him we'd be there in a few minutes."

"Blasphemy." Brianna muttered around a mouthful of tuna and celery stick "Tuna salad is not something to be rushed."

Brittany nodded at that, as much as she loved her muffin, there was just no competing with the sweet, tuna goodness laid out before her.

"Mmmm…this is loads better than the stuff we buy at the store!" Gina moaned, the adventurer/scientist/archaeologist savoring the taste as she washed down her own mouthful with a glass of chilled orange juice "You're good at this, Keitaro."

"I've always been pretty good with my hands." The Ronin admitted bashfully, only to curse himself as Gina and Brianna sent him knowing, flirtatious looks from across the kitchen table "I mean-!"

"Relax Kei, we're just teasing you." Gina assured him, the eldest Diggers sibling rubbing her foot against the Ronin's leg beneath the table, unaware that Brianna was doing the same with the other leg.

"I really wish you wouldn't do stuff like that." Keitaro sighed in defeat, referring to the teasing, since he knew if he called them out on the stroking, they'd simply do something else, they'd done so before.

"We wouldn't if you didn't look so gosh darn cute." Brianna chuckled, the youngest sibling smiling cheekily at the exasperated Ronin, even as she wiped her plate clean "Mmmm! All adventures should start like this!"

"I'll second that." Brittany chuckled, the middle sibling picking up her own plate and dropping the lot in the sink for Genn to clean up later, it was the Rakshasa's turn on sink detail "C'mon, let's get suited up."

"You girls go ahead, I got stuff to catch up on." Keitaro insisted, earning a look of confusion from the girls "It's not that I don't want to go along, it's just I promised Doctor Diggers I'd come see him. He wanted to talk to me earlier while you were away."

Cheetah frowned, having a pretty good idea of exactly WHAT her father wanted to talk about, having told the Archmage about Keitaro's little 'berserk attack' back in quagmire. She didn't think the Ronin had any conscious control over the change, but it was better Dr. Diggers dealt with it than letting her friend hurt himself.

Excusing herself to get changed, the middle Diggers' sister marched off, eager to get into her adventuring duds to hang out with her muffin, leaving Keitaro alone with Brianna and Gina, both of whom were likely to torment the poor guy before leaving him feeling hot and bothered.

* * *

Keitaro sighed, stepping out of the long, cold Shower he'd put himself through after seeing the Diggers' sisters off. Not only had Gina and Brianna gone out of their way to torment him, in their own, unique fashion, but he'd gotten an eyeful when he'd walked into the dressing room just as Brittany had been changing her tops, his eyes bulging out of his head at the sight of the Were-cat's goodies, just before she and the others teleported off to El Dorado.

'Hope no-one else was there to see them arrive.' He prayed, knowing that while he had escaped a beat down by the skin of his teeth, Brittany had a long memory, and everyone knew to steer clear of cats when it came to grudges.

Shaking the water out of his hair, the Ronin slipped on his glasses, fumbling around in his drawer for pair boxers, khaki slacks and a clean jumper, fresh from the Gap.

Thankfully, Gina had left one of her light-gate remotes for him to use if he needed to move about, as the Ronin had steadfastly refused to borrow one of her cars. With his luck he'd end up crashing the thing, or worse, setting off one of the devices Gina had built into each one of her hotrods and leveling a city block.

Besides, it was kind of cool to walk into the light gate and instantly appear wherever he needed to be. It was like he was teleporting really.

"Ah, Keitaro." Dr. Diggers greeted, the kindly, bearded archmage looking up from his chair by the fireplace, his pipe in one hand and a book in the other, as the Ronin stepped into his study "Good to see you."

"Good afternoon, Dr. Diggers." Keitaro greeted, the young ronin grateful for the older man's tutoring sessions in the English language, which he'dlearned had been much worse than Seta had assured him "You wanted to see me?"

"I did." The doctor admitted, closing his book and rising from the armchair with a grunt. He was wearing a smoking jacket and pants, but Keitaro caught sight of the man's mage suit beneath the clothes, evidence that he'd either come from a magical project, or was prepared to embark on one.

"Brittany told me what happened at the mall Keitaro." Theodore explained, his blue eyes showing only concern for his daughters' newest friend, and possibly more if he read their auras right, as he looked the Ronin over "Are you well?"

"I-yes." Keitaro assured him, bowing his head slightly as he spoke, though he looked uncertain himself "I mean…I felt nauseous after Cheetah-san snapped me out of it…but I didn't throw up this time."

"I wager that's because Brittany kept you from going too far." The Archmage noted, returning the book he was reading to the shelves behind him with a solemn nod "Do not blame yourself Keitaro, it wasn't your fault."

"But!" Keitaro insisted, his arms spread wide and eyes desperate "What on earth is wrong with me?! I've never had anything like this happen to me before!" he shivered, recalling the rush of dark pleasure that had washed over him as he throttled Leiola beneath him "I may not liked being picked on, but I've hated people that bullied others more than that! But when I was fighting Leiola…"

"You lost control." Dr. Diggers interrupted, his tone level and soothing, a feeling of calm washing over the teen when the man placed a hand on his shoulder "I understand what you're trying to say Keitaro, even if I don't fully understand the symptoms."

"Then…" Keitaro began, the nervous Ronin swallowing slightly to clear his throat, grateful for the Archmage's attempt to sooth his fears, though they still remained "Is there anything we can do?"

"Without proper understanding of the cause, all we can do is make hypothesis." Dr. Digger sighed, removing his hand and canceling the 'Calming Touch' spell "However, there ARE several mental exercises I can teach you that may help."

"But…" Keitaro began, looking at the Archmage in confusion "Dr. Diggers, I thought we already proved I couldn't use magic?"

It had been shortly after the mission to El Dorado when Dr. Diggers had sat the Ronin down and tested him for magical awareness. Keitaro, of course ha thrown everything he had into the tests, from Thauromancy to Auromancy, Elementalism to Summoning, hell they'd even tried NECROMANCY of all things, though Keitaro was glad that he'd bombed out of that one, something he shared in common with Dr. Diggers.

In the end, they'd simply had to face the facts that Keitaro, like Gina, had absolutely no magical potential whatsoever. If anything, his magical percentage was most likely lower than his old Todai entrance scores.

"Don't worry," Theodore Diggers chuckled, a twinkle in his baby-blues that was reminiscent of another magic user, currently residing in a School somewhere in Scotland "These exercises require no magic at all."

Keitaro blinked, intrigued at the very idea, as Dr. Diggers waved a hand, summoning two cushions and setting them near the fire, squatting down Indian style on one, instructing Keitaro to do the same.

"Just relax." Dr. Diggers instructed, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply through his nose, "Block out everything but the sound of my voice and your own breath…"

Keitaro did as he was instructed, finding it oddly similar to the drills Grandma Hina had him do when he was a child, back when she'd tried to get him interested in the family style. His breathing settled into a steady rhythm with the Doctor's, matching each powerful breath and gentle exhalation step by step, until it became hard to differentiate between them.

* * *

Outside the Doctor's house, the sun had already begun to, set, the streets darkening as the light slowly faded from view. A long, black limousine, sleek and silent, like some mechanical cat, pulled up to the curb half a block away, a tall, baldheaded figure with a barcode on the back of his neck stepping out, his pale skin and blue eyes startling to anyone that had seen him, were there anyone still in the streets so comment.

Narrowing his eyes, he pulled out a mobile phone, flipping it open and scrolling through a list of pictures that he called up.

One of them was the picture of Keitaro, taken during the sacking of Akbar's camp in Iran, showing the Ronin running for his life from an enraged battle camel. The other was a tabloid picture of Gina Babette Diggers, scientist/archaeologist extraordinaire, and her sidekick/adopted sibling/bodyguard, Brittany 'Cheetah' Diggers, in human form.

Agent 47 was many things, but a skeptic he was not. It didn't matter to him whether this supposed 'were-cheetah' was real or not, all that mattered was that if she got in his way, she'd be silenced.

Of course, he'd received several offers from jealous rivals of Diggers to off the duo before, back when he was still working for The Agency, but they had been shot down, as the higher-ups deemed it too dangerous a risk.

He'd already stopped by their home earlier, and despite a minor disagreement with the security system, had managed to discern their absence and extracted himself without any undue distress.

Now he was scoping out the home of, according to his client, one of the prime suspects for the holding of his target, one Dr. Theodore Diggers, a refutable member of several secret societies, and famed Aura Mage.

Agent 47 never really believed in such things as magic, but when one of the Chairwomen of The Agency tells you to be careful around someone, that means you shoot first and don't stop shooting until you run out of ammo or target to shoot.

Not that 47 was the type to get trigger happy, oh if it came down to it he was all set to bring the man's house down around his ears, but why go in guns blazing, when a garrote wire or syringe could buy all the answers you need?

* * *

Theodore Diggers opened his eyes, watching as Keitaro continued the exercise, so withdrawn and focused on his breathing he didn't even notice that the Archmage had stopped matching him.

Nodding to himself, his resolve firm despite his earlier unease, Gina's father let the smallest fraction of his power rise to the surface, his aura surrounding him like a light haze as he focused on Keitaro's aura, eyes glowing as he delved deep into the Ronin's soul.

To an Aura mage, a person's aura was like an autobiography, like how certain profilers could tell a criminal from a saint simply by looking at their body language or personality quirks. Dr. Digger's reading ability went deeper than that, reading not only the person's aura, but their thoughts and intentions with it.

Right now, Keitaro's aura was the same, calm gold it always was, a warmth that washed over those receptive to it, like bathing beneath the sun on a warm day. The doctor actually had to focus to keep from getting swept up in the feeling of calm, making a note to strengthen his mental defenses for future excursions.

He pressed on, diving deeper into the flow, brushing tentatively past childhood memories, not wanting to pry without permission, though some things just washed over him, primarily the man's treatment at the hands of the Hinata Harem.

'Were he any other man he would have snapped…' the Archmage muttered, wincing at some of the more…painful memories, a surge of camaraderie washing over him in regards to the Ronin, who if not physically tortured, was mentally tortured by the residents 'Ah to be young again…' he sighed, chuckling guiltily at one of Keitaro's memories of being cock-blocked by Su kicking him in the face just as he was about to kiss Mutsumi.

It appeared so quickly that the doctor almost missed it, but before it could scuttle away, he bore down on it, weaving after it through the flow of childhood memories and emotions, past the trauma of Keitaro's aunt's death and his mother's abandonment, into memories so old and forgotten they couldn't even be called such.

There, he'd stumbled across it, a slight, dark taint at the very core of Keitaro's being, so buried deep in his psyche it was almost unnoticeable, a nigh imperceptible stain in the otherwise golden flow.

The problem was, that stain was getting bigger, tendrils of it slipping into the aura stream at random intervals, like infection from a rotting wound. It certainly WAS like a growth, a cancerous growth that had imbedded itself in the Ronin's being.

'No…' Theodore muttered, eyes narrowing, unwilling to probe the darkness before him, lest he agitate it 'Not attached…it's always been here…buried deep within.'

He scowled, weaving out of the path of a probing patch of darkness, retreating to a safe distance, before going to work with his spell. Auric energy formed in his hands, tendrils of his own aura streaming from his fingertips to form complex patterns before him, a wave of his hand sending several of the glyphs to surround the darkness on one side, while the other bound them to Keitaro's own Aura signature.

It was a complex, and dangerous ritual, which required a subtle hand and a deft mastery of the arcane to even attempt. If he put to much power into it, it could agitate the stain, make it aware of his presence, and he wasn't keen on battling it within Keitaro's psyche.

No, better to ward it off, to create a barrier that would keep it from advancing any further in it's attempt to corrupt the man that had stumbled into his family's lives, than to risk tearing his soul at the seams ridding him of it.

Just as the barrier was nearing completion however, the stain surged, slamming against the still incomplete walls, a wave of anger, rage, of sheer unbridled HATRED, washing over the Mage's spectral form, hold in check by the walls that were even now beginning to crumble.

'Not yet.' Theodore muttered, his brow creasing as he pumped more power into the wards, weaving the incantations tighter, filling in the cracks that were beginning to form in the defense despite the drain it put on his resources 'Damn…stronger than I thought-!'

A spear of darkness punched through the warding, racing towards the stunned mages heart, Dr. Diggers cursing, knowing that if he dropped the incantation to defend himself, the barrier would drop.

A wave of gold, so bright it was almost white, intercepted the darkness, dispersing it like water crashing against a shield. Dr. Diggers blinked, catching a fleeting image of a pair of crossed arms and mane of dark hair, before focusing on the task at hand, sealing the cracks up again, before relaxing, ceasing the spell with a sigh.

The barrier was in place, a fine wall of glyph's hemming in the darkness, which was washing inside the barrier like ink in a beaker, quiet, but nonetheless there, the anger from before filtering through the wards like the distant echoing of thunder.

'It'll hold… for now…' he reasoned, sighing as he drew himself out of Keitaro's aura, rising past the flow of memories and emotions back into his own body, which he realized was wracked with fatigue 'My god…how many hours was I out?'

* * *

"Dr. Diggers?" Keitaro asked, the Ronnin looking up from his meditation suddenly, as if sensing the Mage's exhaustion, his chocolate colored eyes looking Gina's father over with a hint of concern "Are you alright?"

"Fine, Keitaro." The Archmage assured him, smiling comfortingly as he got to his feet with a groan "These old bones just aren't meant for sitting so long on the floor…gonna grab some coffee, want some?"

"If it's not too much trouble." Keitaro replied, smiling gratefully up at the mage as he stretched, yawning stiffly as the older man walked out of the study to fetch the drink. 'Whatever those exercises were, they really tire you out.' The Ronin muttered, unaware of the events that had transpired within his very soul.

Sitting up with a groan, he let his eyes wander over the books, noting the magical ones immediately from their lack of any recognizable language on the spines, though there were a few ancient classics on the shelves too.

'Hm…The Legend of the Three Kingdoms…'he noted, picking up a copy of the old Chinese legend with a smile, recalling reading it a few times at Hinata-sou from amongst Granny's things she'd apparently left behind 'Mint condition too…hm?'

He blinked, catching sight of a series of photos on the mantle, lined up in a row. The first were obviously baby pictures of Gina and Brittany, earning an amused smile from the Ronin at how adorable the currently seven foot Lycan once was, she reminded him of a kitten really, lounging on top of Gina like that.

There was one photo that stood out from the rest however, that of a man and women in wedding garb. The man was clearly a younger Doctor Diggers, but the woman had traces of Gina about the face, most notably the look of confidence in her eyes.

'Could this be…' the Ronin wondered, only to shiver as something 'thumped' in the house, pausing to see if it was just the house settling, some internal instinct telling him to be on guard.

His instincts proved correct, for Star Platinum lashed out, swiping a dart out of thin air before it could impact with the Ronin's neck. Keitaro rolled to the floor, ducking behind one of the armchairs with a panicked expression, looking at the dart in alarm, recognizing it as a tranquilizer from the time he and Su had played 'Big Kei Hunter' back at Hinata.

'Worst evening of my life.' The Ronin muttered, recalling how the demented foreign princess had chased him all over the inn, the grounds, and even Hinata city itself, riding atop a giant Mecha-tama, with an overeager Sarah at the controls, a modified elephant gun aimed at his hindquarters the entire time.

"Who's there?" the Ronin called out, Star Platinum's eyes peering over the edge of the seat, the Stand's telescopic vision piercing through the shadows of the room "What've you done with Doctor Diggers!?"

"_A mild tranquilizer to keep him from causing trouble."_ A cold voice assured him in fluent Japanese, Keitaro shivering at the cool professionalism with which the assailant spoke in his native language _"Now, if you'd come quietly, Urashima-san."_

"_Who are you?!"_ Keitaro demanded, crouching low behind the chair narrowing his eyes as Star Platinum spotted a dash of red in the shadows, the empathic link between Stand and master allowing Keitaro to see the tall, pale, bald man with Eurasian features skulking behind one of the book cases.

"_Someone who has been paid a lot of money to ensure your safe return."_ The intruder replied, much to the Ronin's shock, his bald features as emotionless as a tombstone, and about as inviting as one too.

"_My safe return?"_ the ronin stammered, shaking his head in wonderment, unable to comprehend who would go through the trouble to hire a HITMAN of all things to find him _"What're you saying? Who sent you?!"_

"_I cannot divulge that information."_ The bald man shot back, the sound of twin safeties going off sending shivers of apprehension through the Ronin's body _"All you need to do is come quietly, and this will all be over."_

"_Like hell!"_ Keitaro snapped, standing up in a flash, Star Platinum flipping the chair in the direction of the hitman with a roar, only for the bald assailant to roll out of the path of the projectile furniture, raising twin tranquilizer guns at the Ronin's torso.

"_Too bad."_ He muttered, firing simultaneously, Star Platinum's fists deflecting the shots before they even reached it's user, only for Keitaro's eyes to widen as something tapped against his foot _"Checkmate."_

The gas grenade went off with an audible hiss, Keitaro's panicked coughing filling the air as he stumbled around the room, trying to get clear without inhaling the stuff. A hand snapped out, catching him around the throat and forcing him to inhale a large mouthful of the smoke, his eyes widening at the sight of the cold blue eyes of his assailant, who was holding a red handkerchief to his own mouth.

"_The order was to bring you back unharmed."_ The hitman explained, his tone echoing, even as Keitaro's eyes grew heavy from the sleeping gas _"Believe me, it was MUCH harder to do so than I was used to."_

"HERMIT PURPLE!"

The assailant blinked, looking down in alarm as several purple vines, invisible to his sight, latched onto him, throwing him off the drugged Ronin and across the room. He crashed into one of the numerous bookcases, sliding to the ground as the whole thing fell on top of him in an avalanche of text, dust and carpentry.

"Keitaro…" Doctor Diggers muttered, the Archmage's Stand's vines vanishing from his outstretched hand as he leant against the door for support, looking mildly concussed, but EXTREMELY angry "You alright?"

"Doctor?" Keitaro muttered, theRonin's head lolling bonelessly on his neck as he fought to remain awake, the Doctor shuffling towards him awkwardly, as if his own body was giving him trouble "What happened?"

"Heh…must be getting old, didn't even sense him coming up behind me." The doctor muttered, grinning reassuringly at the Ronin as he spoke. Truth be told, he'd burnt up a lot of aura putting up the barrier and warding off the darkness inside the teen. So much in fact, that it was akin to going several nights without sleep.

Which meant when the bald assailant had ambushed him in the hallway, the Doctor had been caught almost completely unawares, inhaling enough of the man's knock-out gas to make him sluggish and weak-kneed, before his Aura had snapped up to burn off most of the effect.

'Fortunately, my Stand wasn't as unduly affected.' He noted, smiling down at the barely visible tangle of thorns as they faded from view on his hand 'Took everything I had just to throw the man though…I need to practice with it more.'

Keitaro, having inhaled too much of the gas, collapsed face down on the floor at the Doctor's feet, Dr. Diggers rolling him over and checking his pulse with a relieved sigh, before looking around the trashed study for the phone. It had been so long since he used it he'd forgotten where he'd put it.

Unnoticed by the mage, the bookshelf gave a slight shudder, rising as several books slid off it to the floor.

* * *

Keitaro awoke with a pounding headache and the feeling of a damp cloth over his head.

"Awake are we?" Dr. Diggers greeted, the Archmage smiling genially, albeit tiredly, at his guest from where he was conversing with a man in a police uniform "Thank you officer," he offered, shaking the man's hand "we'll be in touch."

"What happened?" Keitaro asked, the Ronin looking around in concern to find several officers dusting the study for clues, sitting up with a flinch, only to be handed a cup of coffee from a female officer in riot gear and a kind smile "Where's that bald guy?"

"He got away while I was calling the police." Dr. Diggers admitted, the Archmage's features grim, internally berating himself for his blunder "Don't worry though, I doubt he'll try anything any time soon."

"And even if he does, we'll have an APB put out on him by morning." The detective the mage was talking to assured the teen "Doctor Diggers' has some pretty influential friends, they won't let this guy off without a fight."

Unnoticed by the group, a tall, baldheaded police officer slipped out of the mansion, a silver briefcase in one hand, the other rapidly calling up a number on speed dial on his customized cell phone.

"Diana." 47 muttered, his tone clipped and to the point as he eyed the mage's house out the corner of his eye "I'm going to need a little more information of Dr. Diggers…"

* * *

You thought I was just messing around when I hired 47 didn't you?!

Still, if there's one thing the hitman is good at, it's coming back stronger than ever, he doesn't fail, merely has setbacks.

His setback here was underestimating Doctor Diggers, something you should NEVER do, and Keitaro, which is understandable, considering how ineffective the Ronin was prior to meeting the diggers sibs.

As for that black stain, yes, it has something to do with the Urashima legacy.

Is it Orochi? Is it demoic blood? Or is it some sort of aura-tumor?

Tune in to find out!

R&R!


	18. Chapter 18

Another glimpse into Za WArudo of Hina Digger!

And so soon...I might be onto something.

Gina: More Kei-Time!

Brianna: Yay!

Keitaro: (Weeping...)

Kyugan: (Disgusted) What are you, gay?

* * *

Chapter 18.

Life at the Hinata-sou had taken a bizarre turn of late. For one thing, while it was still unnaturally quiet, the residents seemed to have calmed down slightly.

Maehara Shinobu, who many considered the heart of the Hinata, had gone from depressed to joyful, often skipping down the steps of the dorm whenever she had to go shopping. By contrast, Kaolla Su, the hyperactive Molmolian and scourge of sane men everywhere, had seemingly calmed down a little. Oh she was still coming up with random experiments and gadgets that put Pulitzer winners to shame, but she no longer felt the need to test them in public, and she seemed to be oddly afraid of the color orange for some reason.

Konno Mitsune, the resident fox, had taken to working at the Hinata tea house of late, though what surprised many a local was the fact that not only was she not bumming free drinks from the place, but that she hadn't gotten sloshed in over a week.

Otohime Mutsumi was her vapid self, as usual, appearing one minute with melons in hand, fainting at awkward times, before vanishing just as quickly from view, though apparently she was still a resident of the former inn.

The two that were missed the most, in a manner of speaking, were one Aoyama Motoko and Narusegawa Naru, who to this day STILL hadn't made an appearance in public. Many had questioned their absence, though the local males breathed sighs of relief as they did so, but the only reply they got was that the two were attending to 'family' matters and were unavailable.

Nobody stopped to consider that the 'family' in question was the Urashimas, as nobody in their right mind would DREAM of getting on THEIR bad side.

* * *

_Diggers' Residence..._

On the subject of family, across the ocean a touching reunion between mother and daughter was taking place, as Brittany 'Cheetah' Diggers embraced the corporeal form of her mother, made tangible through Séance's use of his aura, the mage in training leading the others away so the two could speak in private.

"Say, Séance…" Gina spoke up, the genius having caught the tail end of the conversation as she and Brianna had walked in "I thought Cyan's spirit was just an image, a projection," she nodded towards the embracing lycanthropes "So how is it that Cheetah can walk up and hug her?"

"That's part of my power, Gina." Dr. Diggers' apprentice admitted "Since I'm lending her my Aura, Cyan is as real as you or I." He shook his head with a sigh "Sadly, my aura can only survive away from my body for a day or so…"

"A day's better than nothing." Keitaro pointed out, smiling at the embracing felines, his own thoughts going to his strained relatonship with his own mother "I'm sure Cheetah-san appreciates it."

"We'll leave them to it for now." Gina agreed, smiling at the Ronin, even as Brianna hugged him from behind "Right now, we need to tidy up the mess that Demon mouse left behind, and then we have to prepare for our trip to Antarctica."

"That's right!" Brianna agreed, smiling down at the flustered Ronin "Remember those Amarans we told you about? Well they said their old City-Ship was there, they said we could explore it and keep anything we find!"

"Sounds exciting!" Séance noted, the mage in training looking eagerly between the group as Keitaro futilely tried to escape from Brianna's lovingembrace "Would you mind if I tagged along?"

"I don't see why not." Gina agreed, beaming at the , admittedly cute, mage in training as she set her hands on her hips "Genn and Tark already scanned ahead with long range ESP, so there shouldn't be any trouble."

* * *

_Antarctica..._

"Well isn't THIS a fine kettle of fish…" a canine figure muttered as he clambered out of the smoking hull of his patched-together spacecraft, which had crashed smack dab in the middle of a frozen wasteland, nowhere NEAR his intended destination "Where in the Universe did I get such bad karma?"

It was bad enough that, after an unfortunate turn of events in a little town called Quagmire, he'd been stripped of his Phenomenal Cosmic Powers and set adrift in space, with no chance of rescue. He'd THOUGHT his luck had changed when he happened across a burnt out space wreck, from which he scavenged enough materials to build a ship, but then, en-route to his destination, and possible cure for his powerlessness, the blasted engines had failed, sending him nose-diving into this frozen block of ice.

"I swear…" he muttered, growling to himself as he looked around the desolate winter wasteland "If it weren't for the BAD luck I'd have NO luck at-!"

He trailed off, eyes widening as he espied a tall, metallic structure that was decidedly NOT of local origin, for one thing, he didn't recall any cities marked with a giant bunny head last time he was here.

"How in the galaxy did I fail to notice that?" he wondered, noting with interest that from the design, and the markings, the city was of Amaran design, a dark smirk crossing his canine features "This could have possibilities…"

* * *

_Antarctica...En route to amaran city ship..._

"Okay crew," Ace called out, the pilot smirking over his shoulder at his passengers as he piloted his albatross over the frozen wasteland "We are now south of the border…and I DO mean south!"

"Thanks for the ride Ace." Gina offered, the blonde explorer straightening her trilby and buttoning up her parka, a dazed, lipstick covered Keitaro lying on the seat behind her, having been worked over by the eldest and youngest diggers siblings over the course of the flight "It was as smooth as ever."

"You get what you pay for Gina." Ace assured the blonde, even as his Stand performed a barrel role outside the window, the pilot not wanting to take any chances if Dark Bird and her cronies showed up again "Though I still say Seventy-Five Grand was too much for this trip."

"You deserve it, Ace." Brittany countered, the middle Diggers sibling practically glowing as she sat in the co-pilot seat, her hands in her lap.

The reason for her good mood was her long wished for, and finally granted meeting with her mother, her birth mother rather, though she still technically considered Julia Diggers her mama. True Cyan had been a little strange, going on and on about how many grandchildren the girl could put out with her 'equipment'.

Sadly, the meeting was not entirely a happy one, since Cyan had come to inform her daughter of a dangerous plot that was being leveled against her, a plot that involved Brendan, Jetta's father, the Werewolf that had almost wiped the Were-cheetah clan out for his own greed.

Even now, Cheetah couldn't help but feel anger at the memory of the tale Cyan had spun, of how Brendan had approached her clan at their weakest earning their trust with honeyed words and false promises, luring them in for the kill, instigating yet another war between the wolf and cheetah clans of lycanthropes, one which had resulted in Brittany being the sole survivor of her race.

Even the fact that Jetta, his own daughter, had learned of his deceit, and his plans to sell his own clan off for power, brought the lycanthrope little joy. True, she and Jetta had patched things up recently, but that still didn't change the fact that her parent's murderer was still alive out there, suffering eternal torment true, but alive.

'Still…at least she approves of me and muffin seeing one another…' she noted, giggling to herself as she recalled the woman's insistence of them churning out 'lots and lots of grandchildren', something she honestly looked forward to trying, just not right that minute.

'She seemed a little interested in Keitaro too…' she noted, recalling her mother's questioning gaze as the Ronin had been dragged out of the room by Brianna 'But why? It's not like she ever met him before…'

"Is everyone ready?" Gina asked, snapping her sister out of her daze as she and Brianna rolled forward in the Gina-mobile mark-1, Keitaro and Gen tucked snugly in the back, the Ronin looking like a walrus in a parka, with the many layers he had on "Sure you don't wanna tag along for the ride ace?"

"No thanks Gina." The pilot assured them "I saw a manned outpost a few miles back, think I'll go refuel and stock up on some cocoa and munchies." He gave her a mock salute "Just gimme a holler and I'll be back for ya."

"Save me some Twinkies!" Keitaro called out with a wave, the Ronin having grown fond of the crème filled rolls during his stay, the pilot assuring him he would, even as Gina got the 'wagon trail' rolling.

"How're we doing Bri?" Gina asked, the eldest Diggers looking over at her youngest sibling, technically, as they glided over the icy wasteland.

"According to the coordinates, the Amaran city should be straight ahead." The composite Diggers, practically trembling with excitement "To think, an alien robot factory! Just what kind of technology do you think we'll find!"

"Plus the Amarans use gold instead of copper for wiring!" Gina thrilled, the Diggers' siblings eyes lighting up at the thought "There's probably a few stray coils of the stuff lying around…"

'And she wonders how she got her nick-name…' Keitaro wondered with a gentle smile, shooting a look at Genn, who returned the smile with one of his own, only to blink as the instrument panel began blinking.

"ZOINKS!" Gina yelped, eyes widening as she gaped at her console in alarm, her hand blurring over the shield generator "Someone's got us in their sights!"

"What's going on over there Gina?!" Cheetah demanded, the lycanthropes voice reaching over the speakers, even as Keitaro got into the 'crash' position, namely hugging onto Genn for dear life, wailing his head off in terror, which caused the Rakshata some, minor, emotional confusion.

"Cheetah!" Gina yelled, taking evasive maneuvers as the first missile came into view behind them like a murderous drag racer "Turn on your force field! QUICK!"

"What field?!" the Were-Cheetah demanded, her voice now laden with concern as she realized what was going on "This car doesn't have one!"

"ABANAI!" Keitaro yelled, Star Platinum lunging out of the car, as intangible as ever to whatever it didn't which to touch, which sadly didn't include the missile, the Stand grabbing it out of mid air and HURLING it back at it's source, which barrel-rolled to get out of the way.

"Jinkies! It's some kind of Robot!" Gina gaped, looking at the thing in her rear-view mirror as it raced over to her Mark-6 and began pounding on the roof, or what she HOPED was pounding anyways 'And I just waxed it too!' the genius wailed, even as Brianna began taking potshots at the thing with her Stand-Gun, the scientist wincing as the paint job got nicked by a few stray shots, her eyes hardening as she reached for the radio "Cheetah! Get out of your seat! I've got a plan to get rid of that thing!"

"Where am I supposed to sit then?" Cheetah demanded, only to sigh at Gina's response, the lycanthrope unbuckling her seatbelt and clambering into a mortified Séance's lap, who was doing his merry best to remember the meditation exercises his master had taught him.

"Sorry about this Séance…" the Lycanthrope muttered, knowing she was a little…heavy, to be sitting on anyone's lap, something that ruined the festive cheer of many a mall Santa let me tell you "Gina, I'm clear!" she barked into the radio, heedless of Séance's discomfort as her tush ground against him "Whatever you're gonna do, do it now!"

Gina was quick to comply, the duo gaping in horror as Cheetah's chair rocketed out of her seat on a giant spring, like something out of a Warner Bros sketch, sending the canine contraption howling into the distance.

"Good lord Gina!" the Lycanthrope yelped, her tail lashing in her agitation, much to poor Séance's discomfort as she twisted around on his lap to glare at her sibling "Why didn't you tell me I was sitting on that…that MISSILE LAUNCHER?!"

"You mean you didn't know?" Gina blinked, looking at the Were-Cheetah in confusion, alongside an equally stunned Brianna "All of my seats can do that!"

Keitaro, who was still clinging to Genn in the back seat of the Mark-1, let out a pitiful whimper and hugged the Rakshasa tighter, causing the shape shifter to flush slightly.

Needless to say, everyone was more than happy to be on solid ground once again, the group milling around the perimeter wall of the Amaran city as Gina went over the blueprints.

* * *

_Ten minutes later...Outside the Amaran City Ship..._

"Sweet Buddha's balls it's cold out here!" Keitaro muttered, the ronin's teeth chattering away like arthritic castanets as he hugged his parka tightly to himself to keep warm "And I thought Tibet was bad…"

"Just hang on for a few minutes Keitaro." Genn assured the Ronin, the Rakshasa, in neutral form and an equally thick parka, looking up from the map they'd been given in concern "I just need to find the entrance…"

"At this stage I'm about ready to make my OWN entrance." Keitaro chattered, the Ronin shivering as a gust of bitingly cold wind cut through him like a serrated knife to the spine "I'm freezing my balls of here!"

"Well we can't let that happen!" Gina noted, the blonde scientist smirking as she and Brianna embraced the shivering Ronin, each one grabbing an arm and hugging it close, sharing their body heat as they hugged him.

"Want me to keep you warm Kei?" Brianna asked, the composite Digger's tone causing the Ronin's face to turn scarlet at the underlying insinuation, even as Brittany rolled her eyes at their antics from the sidelines.

"I found something!" Séance called out, the mage apparently unaffected by the cold despite wearing nothing but spandex, much to Keitaro's ire "Looks like someone stole your idea Keitaro." The mage noted, gesturing to a small hole in the ground that apparently led into the building.

"Hmm…" Gina wondered, leaving Keitaro, reluctantly, to her sister's care, her baby blues narrowed as she examined the entrance "It's rather small…too small for anything human to slip through." She smirked, her stand rising behind her "Fortunately for me, me stand likes close confined spaces."

Keitaro shivered, watching as the emerald stand uncoiled and slithered into the hole, the tendrils unraveling as it went. No matter how cool or useful it might be, Gina's stand still gave him the creeps sometimes.

"Okay…I can see the hallway…" Gina muttered, her eyes frowning as she held a finger to her temple "It's pretty messed up inside, the crash must've really shook the place down, and it looks like the weather didn't do it any favors either."

"It's not doing Kei any either," Brianna whined, a playful hint to the youngest Diggers sister's tone as she fondled the front of the mortified Ronin's pants, grinning suggestively "We got shrinkage down south."

"Down Bri." Gina warned, though it was highly amusing to watch Keitaro light up like a solar flare at the contact, the heat of the man's flush actually melting the snow around him, only to blink, her eyes widening in shock "Jinkies! There's this little dog man coming down the corridor!"

"A dog man?" Séance repeated, the mage in training frowning in confusion, and with good reason, as besides the werewolf clan, there were no canine humanoids on earth "You're certain?"

"He's too small to be a lycanthrope." Gina assured the mage, her eyes filled with absolute certainty as she turned to look at him out the corner of her eye "Not only that, but he's wearing a space suit!"

"Is he heading this way?" Séance asked, the group tensing, Keitaro and Brianna summoning their stands while Genn tensed, the Rakshasa not wanting to waste his energy unless he had to."

"I don't think…" Gina began, only to frown as the canine came to a halt in front of the patch of snow, his fists glowing with power as he aimed them at the tunnel "not good, he's waiting for us to come through the tunnel."

"Then let's make our own entrance!" Brittany countered, clenching her knuckles before delivering a blow that would've made Naru seethe with jealousy at the wall of the structure, only to flinch as Gina's warning of the auto defenses came too late, a laser cannon emerging from the wall and opening fire.

"ORAH!" Star Platinum roared, the stand's fists crashing into the dent Brittany had formed, sending an entire section of wall flying inwards as Keitaro leapt through, dragging a startled Genn after him "EVERYONE!" the Ronin called out, even as the feline Diggers played keep away with the lasers, Gina and Séance using their respective shields to avoid the blasts.

"Good work Keitaro!" Brittany applauded, even as Gina and Brianna's stands took out the Cannon in a hail of emerald plasma and stand bullets, the Were-Cheetah grabbing her eldest sibling by the waist racing towards the entrance alongside Brianna, with Séance hovering along behind "Where's the little freak?"

"Right over…" Keitaro began, only to trail off, his eyes widening behind his spectacles at the sight of the sparking figure that had been crushed under the flying debris.

"Jinkies! An android!" Gina wondered, crouching next to the trashed replica, her baby blues lighting up with intrigue and excitement "And it's Amaran design! That must mean the factory's still up and running!"

"And by the looks of it, some lunatic with a dog fetish is running the show." Brittany muttered, shivering slightly in discomfort. It might not be a werewolf, but as a were-cat, she still retained a natural aversion to canines, particularly the type that launched laser beams.

No sooner had the were-cheetah spoken that another android, identical to the one at their feet in every way, came barreling down the hallway, eyes flashing and hands glowing ominously. But Star Platinum was having none of that, and proved it's irritation by hurling a chunk of debris at the mechanical mutt, disrupting the laser fire and blinding it for a few seconds in the resulting explosion.

"EMERALD SPLASH!" Gina yelled, her stand sending a hail of emerald plasma towards the canine contraption, slamming it against the wall, even as Brittany raced forwards for the finishing blow, plowing her fist into the android's 'face', smashing it into the back of the wall.

"Something tells me there's a lot more of these little buggers." The were-cheetah growled, even as Brianna complained about taking her 'kill'. She paused, her nostrils twitching as she glared down the corridor their assailant had come from "And I think they're right ahead…and so is the puppet master."

"It's weird though." Gina muttered, looking from the trashed terminator wannabes in confusion, "IF he's mass producing these things…then why has he only sent two after us?"

"Maybe he didn't think we were worth it?" Keitaro opined, the Ronin honestly not willing to look a gift horse in the mouse. After all, he was used to Su's mecha-tama attacking him en masse, but they didn't hold a candle to the firepower these things were dishing out.

The Ronin shivered, looking up at the Diggers' sisters in wonder, and dawning terror, as an aura formed over them, their features shadowed.

"Not worth it are we?" Brianna wondered, chuckling lightly as she summoned her Stand gun, her sisters joining in, Brittany cracking her knuckles while Gina held up her tools, her Stand mimicking her pose "We'll just see about that…"

* * *

_Amara production factory control room..._

'Why do I have a sudden desire to launch myself back into space?' Dog Supreme muttered, the canine conqueror shivering suddenly, and not entirely from the cold 'Blasted heating system's still on the fritz.' He muttered, glaring at the outdated, at least by galactic standards, Amaran control board before him 'Gah…this system is so old it's practically prehistoric! But then I suppose they never got a chance to update…'

Shaking his head, the would-be conqueror of the universe growled as the second of his robotic effigies went offline. While finding the Amaran production plant had been a stroke of tremendous fortune, which he personally felt was richly deserved after all the crap he'd had piled on him, it didn't change the fact that it was a much older model, running an OS that was much slower than the type he was used to. As such, it had taken him forever simply to get the plant back online and churning out his robot doppelgangers by the truckload, so he'd not had any time to work on a program that would permit him to control more than ONE at a time.

'A lesson in hindsight I'll be sure to address later…' he muttered, already powering up another of his effigies to deal with the intruders. 'I can't believe their run of luck.' He muttered, shaking his head in disgust 'Not only did they manage to take down Sparky, but they somehow managed to get by the fortress' defenses without a scratch! I nearly got barbecued by those security guns before I managed to tunnel in!'

As much as he despised the Amarans for their natural cowardice in the face of danger, at least in his eyes, the canine conqueror had to admit that the rascally rabbits knew how to build a good security system. He'd literally had to break into the main computer room in order to shut off the interior defenses, otherwise he ran the risk of being shot in the back by laser sentinels every time he traversed the corridors though he'd left the external defenses active, as there was little point in letting just anyone walk up to the door now was there?

'I should have at least left the laser grids running.' He muttered, recalling the sweeping beams of energy that had intersected the halls. Something of Amaran stature, or his noble self, could easily duck to avoid them, but an earthling would've bee cut to ribbons, let alone those cat-women that he'd seen with them.

'No matter…' he muttered, nodding to himself as his third replica activated, the systems giving the all clear as it leapt off the assembly line 'They took the first one by surprise, and the last one was contained by the narrow corridor.' He smirked as the mechanical mimic took flight, it's motion sensors detecting something flying down the corridor 'But in here there's plenty of room to cut loose!'

"STORM BLAZER!" the mimic cried out, releasing a blast of fiery laser fire from it's hands, the blast incinerating the intruders as they exited the tunnel, Dog Supreme letting out a whoop of victory at the sight of their charred remains.

"HAH! How'd you like that!" he crowed, speaking through his puppet as a medium, only to blink as the mimic's visual sensors relayed the image of it's victims, namely their charred metallic faces "What the?!"

"HEADSHOT!" a voice called out, Dog Supreme whipping his mimic around in mid-air, just in time to avoid a bullet to the head, glaring at the interlopers as they piled out of the tunnel.

"Huh…" he muttered, commanding the mimic to lower itself before them, holding the severed head of one of it's destroyed brethren "Using the ones you trashed as a distraction…" the mimic crushed the severed head with a snort "Pretty clever…for earthlings."

"Clever enough." One of the females mocked, her hand poised as if she were holding a gun, though the canine conqueror couldn't see anything, though this took on a double meaning as the back of his double's head was penetrated by something, his vision cutting off to hazy static.

"What was that?!" he yelped, whipping his head around for the mysterious sniper, only to blanch as something invisible slithered over his limbs, yelping in fear as he was dragged away from the console and secured to the ceiling "What in blazes?!"

* * *

_Outside the control room..._

"Looks like your hunch was right Séance." Gina noted, smiling perkily at the mage in training as she looked up at the command center, where her stand was securing the struggling Dog Supreme.

"It was a good idea for me to scan ahead with my aura magic." The mage agreed, nodding his head at the girl "Though your stand's range is impressive Gina, to think it could cover all that distance without being detected."

"Most normal people can't see Stands." Keitaro reminded the teen, recalling Dr. Diggers' lecture on the sprits "Stands to reason they wouldn't show up on camera."

"Explains why he didn't see my bullet coming back for another pass." Brianna agreed, twirling her gun with a flair before banishing it with a holstering motion, draping herself over Keitaro from behind so his head was cushioned by her chest "You did pretty good today Kei."

"That he did." Brittany agreed, leveling an approving smile at her embarrassed friend as he tried to ward off Brianna's, not entirely unwanted, advances "We'll make an adventurer out of you yet Kei." She grinned as she rotated her right arm "Now where is that little mutt…I gotta score to settle with his hide."

Needless to say, Keitaro felt a sudden surge of pity for their canine adversary, as he recognized that look in the were-cheetah's eyes all to well from his days at the Hinata, offering a silent prayer as the sound of pounding flesh and pleas for mercy echoed around the command center.

* * *

_Fifteen Agonizing minutes later..._

After securing a battered Dog Supreme, who was literally 'playing dead' to avoid a further beating at the hands of Cheetah, Gina and Brianna had rewritten the security systems to recognize them as friendly, not to mention bumping the security level down from 'Vaporize' to 'Stun and Restrain', whilst the rest of the group proceeded to loot, that is salvage, as much of the Amaran technology, and their giant spools of gold coil, as possible.

Gina and Brianna, predictably, were practically drooling at the technological payload they'd uncovered, as the brief glimpse of Amaran tech they'd witnessed back in El Dorado had been but a small sample of what the space-bunnies were capable of. The siblings were no doubt already planning to give their, already lethal, security systems and attack robots a major overhaul as soon as they got back.

Brittany, not being a technophile like her siblings, would have rolled her eyes at their antics, were it not for the fact she'd gotten tangled in a giant ball of golden wiring, literally purring for joy as she allowed herself to be rolled down the hallway by Séance, Genn and Keitaro, the three males, as Genn was in masculine form, sweat dropping, chuckling feebly at the normally reserved feline's antics.

Unfortunately, there was only so much that they could take with them on this first trip, not without leaving the Gina-mobiles behind at any rate, as Gina wasn't about to risk teleporting the precious cargo in case it messed with the gold, that is the Amaran tech, and so it was with great reluctance that the Diggers' siblings left the factory to board Ace's transport.

"Ace? Where'd all these comics come from?" Keitaro asked, the ronin blinking at the sight of several freshly printed issues, and several more back issues, resting in cardboard boxes in the passenger section

"You ain't gonna believe this," the pilot grinned, strapping himself in and flicking through the launch procedures "But remember that outpost I saw? Turns out there's a Comic-Publishing Company all the way out here." He grinned at the Ronin's look of shock "I know, that chillin' or what?"

"Sub-Zero." Keitaro cracked, earning a hearty laugh from the pilot as the Ronin sank back into his seat with a sigh of relief, basking in the central heating, an opened Twinkie packet in his hand "This is heaven…"

"Sure is…" Brianna purred, the youngest diggers startling the Ronin, as he hadn't noticed her sit down, as she hugged his left arm, Gina doing the same to his right, the two of them having partially unzipped their parkas as they eyed him daringly "now anyways."

Séance, who was sitting next to a flushing Genn, the Rakshasa's ESP giving the shape shifter a VERY clear image of the trio's antics, couldn't help but feel they'd forgotten something as the plane took off.

'It's probably nothing.' He muttered, sweat dropping as Brittany, still enveloped in the golden ball of yarn, rolled past him, giggling with feline glee, even as Keitaro's cries for mercy were silenced.

* * *

_Meanwhile, thousand of miles away...not..._

"Blast it all!" Dog Supreme cursed, the canine crook scowling as he piloted his escape pod away from the city-ship, having slipped out of his restraints while the earthlings were carrying off their loot "Well there's one plan for Galactic Domination down the crapper…" he muttered, flinching as his bruises from Brittany's beating ached "Damn bitch…I'll remember this…" he smirked "They haven't seen the last of me…first I'll head over to Quagmire…get that steam-brained earthling to restore me…and then I'll-!"

Whatever the canine conquerors plans for revenge might be, we may never know, for at that moment, hindsight, in the form of his neglecting to ensure his mode of escape was fully restored, reared it's ugly head, in the form of a giant snowy mountain ridge, the canine crook's howls of terror cutting off as his ship crashed into it.

'This sucks…' he muttered, sitting cross-legged in his icy prison, a baleful expression on his face 'I should've just stayed in space…nothing good EVER happens on this dirtball.'

* * *

And we're done! For now anyways.

Those of you that caught the Yugioh abridged reference, have a cookie

Keep on reviewin' for more!


	19. Chapter 19

The following chapter was meant to be a Birthday present for datenchi, but for some reason, FF wouldn't let me post it.

Thankfully, it's up now, and better late than never right?

In any case, Datenchi? Hope it was worth the wait.

* * *

Chapter 19.

In a world that knew neither daylight nor justice, where the skies were darkened by perpetual storm clouds, lit only by the occasional flash of ominous lightning, there stood a tower.

Now normally this wouldn't have caused much of an issue, as towers were pretty much a must have in the underworld, hell you couldn't call yourself an evil wizard or whatnot if you hadn't had at least ONE tower in your lifetime.

The difference between the traditional towers that graced the land and the giant, spiraling obelisk that now graced the darkened, storm-wracked skyline, was that despite its ominous presence, it was relatively new.

That, and it came fitted with indoor plumbing and electrical lighting.

The tower had been erected under orders of the new, undisputed, at least not to his face, Master of the Underworld, who in a short period of time had not only toppled the vampires, lords of the undead, from the top of the food chain, but had actually brought their Queen under his heel as a servant, though he preferred the term 'employee'.

"I'm surprised at you, Natasha." The overlord noted, his features drawn back into a fleshless smile, as his 'face' consisted of little more than an ominous skull, topped by a crown as he watched the former queen of the undead enter his office, a shambling wreck of a creature following brainlessly at her heels "you ACTUALLY accomplished a task!" he continued, his tone laced with derisive mockery as he gave the impression of quirking an eyebrow at the Vampire "I was expecting you to return in failure again."

"Hmmph!" Natasha sniffed, glaring balefully at the Lich, for that was what he was, wishing with all her non-beating heart that she could vaporize the bag of bones where he stood for his mockery, only to still herself, as it would only end in her being reduced to dust on the carpet, AGAIN "I still don't see why you asked me to fetch this…THING." She muttered, her lips curling in distaste at the shambling lump of flesh she'd led out of the silver-lined prison. It looked little better off than a zombie, worse actually, as at least zombies had the decency to not decay all over the freshly waxed marble floors.

"That creature is a Lycanthrope, Natasha." The Lich-King replied, in that insufferable tone that implied he was speaking to a child "A WEREWOLF to be precise." He nodded to the shambling lump of flesh "His name is Brendan, and he is the BEST tracker in this or any other reality."

Natasha eyed the shambling creature before her, clearly unable to accept the things reputation at first glance. 'It doesn't look like it could find a corpse in crypt.' She muttered balefully.

"His current condition is the result of a…misunderstanding, between him and a necromancer of…lesser skill." The Lich King continued, in a tone that implied he considered all of his fellow practitioners to fall into that category, even as he eyed the vampire askance "Really Natasha, as the 'Queen of the Vampires'," Natasha bristled at the mocking usage of her title "and my personal secretary, you should be in the know of such trivia." He turned to face the creature "And to answer your query, I need him for a job, heal him and make him comfortable in a guest suite…I shall tell him what his mission is tomorrow."

He turned on his heel, making his way down the corridor to his office, his hands clasped behind his back, only to pause and look over his shoulder "Oh yes, and be in my office with your Steno-pad in one hour."

"As you wish…master." Natasha muttered, fighting down the urge to grit her fangs at having to refer to the creature as such as she began healing up his little tracker, her brows narrowing in suspicion as he walked off "By the way, oh gracious Lich-King." She allowed herself the slight inflection on the creatures title, halting the walking corpse in his tracks "I noticed you planning a new campaign this week. Is this…creature, part of your 'Grand Design'?" he gazed at the Lich's features "And do these plans of yours concern you Son and his Daughter?"

The Lich's eyes glowed ominously, and Natasha wisely decided to avert her gaze and resume her ministrations to the lycanthrope, a shiver washing over her as she listened to his footsteps retreat.

* * *

_Elsewhere..._

Keitaro smiled, the Ronin playing patty-cake with Thabian and Jetta's son Pojo, the little lycanthrope giggling in glee at this new, interesting game, the Ronin trying to wrap his mind around the current situation.

It had all started with a trip to Ireland, Gina having uncovered an ancient stone tablet, carved with some ancient, druidic script, that gave the location of a mystical stone that turned water to metal.

Now the Ronin couldn't see the use in such an object, after all, what would be the point? But Brianna had been getting a little…frisky lately, so he'd jumped on the chance to tag along, for at least while Gina was in 'treasure hunter' mode, he didn't need to worry about waking up to find her in his bedroll. Sure she'd probably make up for it later, but even a few days peace was welcome.

Sadly, however, their expedition was cut short after several days worth of fruitless hiking, as Gina's rival, Penny 'Pincher' Pincer, had intervened, tricking a clan of leprechauns into believing the trio had come after their treasure, and we weren't talking about lucky charms.

Now normally, Keitaro would have laughed at the idea of being threatened by little bearded men in green suits, knickerbockers and galoshes that barely came up to his shins. But then normally the little buggers weren't packing silver-plated, armor piercing ammunition, nor did they ride around in Soviet-model tanks.

Needless to say, after a mad race across the forests of the emerald isle, Gina had finally had enough of dodging potshots and hit the turbo, only to be completely blindsided by a tree going the other way.

Remember kids, in the UK and Europe, you drive on the left side.

Needless to say, like most of her crashes, the Gina mobile was a total write off, Cheetah barely managing to haul their assess out of the blast range before the turbo-charger detonated, blasting the hotrod to smithereens, which meant they'd be walking back to their hotel. Now while Keitaro was no stranger to long hikes back to civilization, he'd once been punched all the way to Okinawa after all, he wasn't to keen on hiking through the woods filled with trigger happy leprechauns.

Fortunately, the matter proved moot, as if there was one thing the Leprechauns, or anyone native to that patch of woods knew it was to never stumble into a wolves glen, and ESPECIALLY not a glen habited by Werewolves, silver plated ammunition or not.

Cheetah, despite her reconciliation with Jetta, had naturally gone into panic mode, and it had only been through Keitaro's presence that she'd avoided lashing out at the pack, the leader calling out to the Ronin in greeting.

He'd identified himself as Sander, Jetta's younger brother and caretaker of the clan in her and Thabian's absence, and had invited them to their den, on a matter of mutual importance to both Brittany and themselves.

Brendan, Jetta and Sander's father, and the former leader of the clan, who had wiped out Brittany's clan and attempted to sell his own into slavery, had apparently escaped from the prison his master, whom hadn't liked being cheated, had locked him in, which pretty much ruined everyone's day.

It certainly didn't put Jetta in a good mood, Sander having teleported them all to the sanctuary to inform his sister of their sire's escape, the leader of the wolves only held back from going after the traitor by her mate's insistence and cool logic.

Not for the first time, Keitaro found himself glad that Thabian was on their side, as the larger, stronger werewolf was often the only thing that could keep his volatile mate under control. He'd greeted the Ronin warmly on their arrival, and had even permitted him to play with Pojo while Jetta taught Brittany the finer points of transforming without waiting for the full moon, a strange, paternal look in his eyes.

"I can understand why." Sanders assured the Ronin, as they prepared to send the trio on their way home "You put your own life at risk to save my nephew, despite having no reason to do so. It's one of the reasons we were glad to see you at the glen."

"I only did what anyone else would've done." Keitaro stammered, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment as he handed Pojo over to his mother.

"I doubt anyone else would have thrown themselves out a tower window to save a child that wasn't their own." Thabian countered, smiling at the Ronin as he spoke, patting the man on the arm "Know that you'll always be a friend to the Wolf clan, Keitaro, if you need anything, just give us a howl."

"Uh…sure…" Keitaro stammered, shooting a hurt glare at Gina, who was giggling at how flustered he was, only to blink as the weird, water-drop teleportation washed over them again, cutting off Pojo's gleeful farewell as he stumbled forwards, his face planting between two soft mounds.

"Well hello!" Brianna purred, the startled Diggers sibling smiling down at the equally startled Ronin, ignoring the bowl of popcorn he'd spilled out of her lap as she hugged him to her bosom "Missed me that much Kei?"

"Uhm…well…" Keitaro stammered, blinking up at the woman like a deer in the headlights, ignorant of Cheetah rolling her eyes at his antics, or of Gina's mild frown of disapproval at how close they were.

"So how was your trip to Ireland?" Tark asked, the elf lounging on the floor, reading a newspaper "I thought you were coming back by plane?"

"Flight got cancelled." Brittany muttered, shaking her head as she watched her elder and younger siblings squabble over who got to treat their favorite Ronin like a plushy "Penny Pincer sicced a pack of leprechauns on us, then we ended up bumping into the werewolves again."

"Say what?" Brianna exclaimed, turning to Keitaro in concern, patting the Ronin down and looking for injuries.

"Relax, nothing happened." Gina assured her sibling, surrendering the battle, for now, before grinning teasingly at a flustered Keitaro "Though I think I saw a few of the ladies checking you out Kei."

"What?" Keitaro yelped, only to flush as Brianna leaned, in, her nose twitching furiously as she sniffed him over, growling as she detected several foreign scents on his person "I didn't do anything!"

"Didn't stop them from walking pretty close to you…" Gina teased, giggling as Keitaro flailed in Brianna's grasp, the composite diggers trying to remove the foreign scents in a manner similar to what Brittany had with Stripe a few weeks back "I'm gonna hit the showers now…"

"Oh, by the way Gina." Tark called out, the elf averting his eyes from Brianna's 'marking' her territory, heedless of Keitaro's protests, chuckling at his friend's misfortune "Your father's here, he's with a guest."

No sooner had the elf's warning been delivered when a redheaded blur lunged into the hallway, embracing the startled blonde in a tight hug, before lifting her off the ground and twirling her around like she weighed nothing at all.

"Oh Gina!" the assailant cried, revealing herself to be a mature, but undeniably pretty redhead, pirouetting gracefully in the middle of the hallway as she held the surprised blonde in the air "Oh I haven't seen my little girl in so long!"

"M-Mom?" Gina cried, her surprise giving way to glee as she returned the woman's embrace, Brittany coming out of the room to gape at the woman in joy, even as Doctor Diggers stepped in, smiling warmly at the sight of his girls rejoicing "Dad! Mom's back!"

"Surprise!" the Archmage called out, smiling as he watched his wife lift Cheetah as effortlessly as she had Gina, pirouetting gracefully all the while "I was worried that you'd forgotten that today is the day she returns each year, I was actually about to go out and look for you." He nodded at a beaming Brianna, who was hugging a stunned Keitaro "I've already explained Brianna's origins to Julia. Truth be told, she thought she was YOU at first."

"I did not!" Julia countered, fixing her husband with a reproving glare as she hugged Cheetah to death, though the mischief in her eyes belied any true ire "I knew it all along!" she blinked at the sight of Keitaro in her youngest's embrace "Oh, are you Keitaro?"

"Uh, Yes ma'am…" Keitaro stammered, Brianna releasing him as he bowed to the woman, recognizing her as an older, though not unduly so, version of the woman from Dr. Diggers wedding photo "K-Keitaro Urashima…at your service."

"Oh Theodore you didn't tell me how adorable he was!" Julia chuckled, startling the Ronin as she embraced him, a chaste, motherly hug that was surprisingly strong despite her slim, if toned, frame "Theo's told me all about you," she admitted, smiling gratefully at the Ronin as she spoke "thanks for looking after my girls for me."

"Your…welcome?" the Ronin stammered, looking up at the rest of the Diggers family in confusion, noting the warm smiles they were sending his way in surprise, a warm feeling of belonging washing over him as he returned the hug hesitantly.

* * *

Later...

"You okay there, Kei?" Gina called out, the blonde having broken away from the traditional perusal of the Diggers family photo album in search of Keitaro, who'd excused himself to prepare some snacks in the kitchen.

"Hm?" The Ronin looking up from his preparations to blink dazedly at the woman "Oh! Yes, I'm fine Gina san." He assured her, smiling kindly at his friend as he resumed his task "I was simply…thinking…"

"It's a lot to take in, I know." Gina admitted, recalling how Dr. Diggers had brought the Ronin up to date on the facts behind Julia Diggers' banishment to the realm of jade "It was hard…growing up without my mom."

"I can relate." Keitaro admitted, earning a look of confusion from the woman "Well, you see, my mom never could accept being second best to my aunt Yoko, at least that's how dad always put it." he grinned guiltily "Anyways, she was always hard one me and dad, it got worse after my first 'accident'."

"Accident?" Gina repeated, wondering if he meant his near-brushes with death, or his bouts of klutziness that landed him in compromising situations.

"I was around four at the time." Keitaro admitted, looking into the distance "Me and a friend were playing in the street when I got hit by a car." He waved a hand reassuringly at her look of shock "I survived without even a scratch on me." He assured her, only to slump, his eyes downcast "But sometimes I think it would've been better if I'd gotten hurt…at least then mom wouldn't have gone out of her way to avoid me."

Gina's heart went out to the Ronin, her baby-blues lined with sympathy as she reached out, one hand going for his shoulder, only to pause as he smiled at her, chuckling slightly. "Well, one good thing came out of it I suppose." The Ronin noted, a self-mocking grin on his gentle features "My parents adopted Kanako-chan, so I finally got a little sister to look after."

"Oh Kei…" Gina sighed, reaching out and hugging the surprised ronin, holding him tight, her hand at the back of his neck as she shook, heedless of the Ronin's attempts to find out why she was crying.

* * *

Outside...

In the living room, the usual chatter had fallen silent, as the rest of the Diggers clan were paying rapt attention, Brianna and Brittany's superior hearing allowing them to listen in on the conversation, whilst Theodore and Julia shared a knowing look.

'What kind of mother would abandon her own child for another?' Julia wondered, her hand clenching into a fist as her infamous temper flared at the Ronin's words, wishing she could meet Mrs. Urashima to give her a piece of her mind…preferably with a weapon in hand 'I only get to see my girls one day out of every year, but I wouldn't trade it for anything!'

The redheaded Arms Master blinked, looking up at touch of her husbands hand on her own, her anger dissipating in the face of the Archmage's caring baby blues locking onto her own, looking up as Keitaro and Gina walked in, her baby looking a little red eyed, but smiling at the tray bearing Ronin nonetheless.

"Sorry it took so long." Keitaro apologized; smiling as he held up a tray of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies "Help yourselves."

"Will do." Julia chuckled, grapping a cookie that Brianna and Brittany had been arguing over and taking a bite before they could complain "Mmmm!" she praised, actually closing her eyes "Keitaro you've got a gift at this!"

"My family run a bakery and sweet store." The Ronin admitted, missing the Diggers siblings' flinch at his words, "Mom was always insisting I help out, even after I started taking entrance exams." He chuckled "Come to think of it, me and Dad always used to see who could come up with the latest confection."

'Well at least one of his parents had his head screwed on right.' Was the general thought of the Diggers' females, though they held their silence, Julia trying to feed Dr. Diggers a piece of cookie whilst leaning against him, the doctor managing to fend her off barely, though he had the decency to look embarrassed.

"Mrs. Diggers?" Keitaro asked, the redhead looking up, blinking as he shuffled uncertainly from foot to foot, "Um…if it's not too much trouble…how'd you meet Dr. Diggers?"

'Oh he's so adorable!' Julia chuckled, smiling kindly at the boy as she hugged her husband, the Doctor smiling down at her as he began their tale.

"It all started during my final year of studying on jade…"

* * *

An undisclosed location...

"Aoyama, you have a visitor." One of the guards muttered, Motoko opening an eye to glare balefully at the woman. The guards had learned that Motoko wouldn't struggle as much if at least one of the guards monitoring her was female, and the kendo-ka reciprocated this consideration by at least being civil to the quack, that is the psychiatrist, that they made her see almost every waking moment.

Sitting up straight to compose herself, the younger Aoyama turned to face her supposed visitor, only to blanch as her elder sibling glided into the room, her usual enigmatic smile on her face. "Well now Motoko-chan…" the elder Aoyama greeted, her smile to all outside appearances warm, though Motoko felt a chill wash over her "This is quite the mess you've landed yourself in."

"A-Aneue…" Motoko stammered, trying to back away into the wall, her arms secured by her straight jacket, internally weeping at the absence of her sword "W-what are you…?"

"Do I need a reason to come visit my sister?" Tsuruko asked, smiling coyly at the younger kendo-ka's look of surprise "Oh? Did you think I came here to punish you?" she chuckled at Motoko's look of terror "Normally I would, but I do believe the past few months is more than enough."

"Y-You knew?" Motoko stammered, her eyes widening as she realized that there was no way in hell she COULD'NT have known. Why else would she have been left to rot down here, than if Tsuruko hadn't given her consent?

"I believed it was an appropriate course to drive home the consequences of your actions." Tsuruko explained, her hands folded serenely at her lap, though Motoko knew that at the slightest moment she could have her naked blade at the girl's throat "Now that you've experienced it, however, I think it's time we got down to the truth."

The air around the woman turned cold, her smile vanishing as she opened her eyes, no longer Aoyama Tsuruko, the retired house wife, but Aoyama Tsuruko, the Demon Sword of Kyoto, one of the most dangerous women to ever walk the earth, and certainly never lied to.

"Motoko." She began, the girl flinching at the drop of the honorific, noting the occasional flash of gold in her sister's stare "The truth now…WHAT happened the day that Keitaro-kun disappeared?"

Motoko flinched, as this had been asked of the Hinata girls several times already, or at least she suspected as such, as she hadn't had any contact with the others since she and naru had been moved into solitary. "I…I cannot say…" she replied, averting her eyes from her sister's piercing stare, shivering as the intensity seemed to increase.

"If this is about the oath of secrecy between the residents," Tsuruko began, Motoko jumping in alarm at her revelation "Then you have no need to worry, Maehara-san and Konno-san have already filled us in."

"But…" Motoko stammered, her eyes widening in shock and confusion as she turned to stare at her sister, she'd half expected Shinobu-chan to fold, the girl wasn't a warrior, but to learn that Kitsune had cracked was shocking "Then why…?"

"Because I wish to hear it from your own lips." Tsuruko replied, her tone firm, and her eyes as intense as ever as she trapped her sister's gaze with her own "Your own recounting. Only then will I pass judgment."

Motoko flinched, looking to the sword at her sister's side, before lowering her gaze in shame and defeat "Narusegawa-sempai claimed he was spying on her in the bath." She admitted, recalling that fateful day all to well "Shinobu-chan claimed that he'd put the sign up to let everyone know he was cleaning it, but Narusegawa claims it wasn't there."

"And was it?" Tsuruko asked, the elder Aoyama sitting quietly before her disheveled sister, hands on her lap.

"I…decided to look into the matter after Keitaro didn't return that afternoon." Motoko admitted after a moment "The sign was indeed still up, and apparently hadn't been touched in any way."

"And how did you feel when you learned this?" Tsuruko asked, her eyes never leaving her sister as she spoke, her tone almost hypnotic."

"I…" Motoko began, pausing slightly "At first, I simply thought it was Urashima's bad luck coming into play again…" she appeared withdrawn "However…as the days turned into weeks…with no sign of his return…everything just seemed to…fade, like it had lost it's meaning, it's energy."

"You missed him." Tsuruko cut in, Motoko's head snapping up in alarm "You had gotten so used to him being a part of your life that when he left, he took a piece with you."

"T-that is…!" Motoko stammered, only to pause, her eyes lowering as the image of Keitaro's goofy, smiling face flashed before her eyes. She recalled his childish pleas for mercy, his stammered apologies, and most of all, his kindness and resolve whenever she or the others needed his support. Even after everything she had put him through, when she was at her weakest, the Ronin had never claimed vengeance, though he'd have been more than in his rights.

"…It's true…" Motoko choked, her head lowering in shame as she fought back tears that were beginning to stream down her cheeks "I…I know I have no right…after all I've said and done to him…" she shivered "But…but without Urashima…without Keitaro…I don't think I can go back to the Hinata…"

"And that is the truth?" Tsuruko demanded, her tone firm, her eyes narrowing as Motoko nodded her head in shame "I see…"

Faster than the eye could track, Tsuruko's hand had drawn her sword, Motoko's eyes closing as she waited for the blow to land, to end her torment, only to blink as her straight jacket was shredded, falling around her in shreds.

"Well then!" the elder Aoyama chirped, her features amiable once again "That's certainly a load off my mind!" she smiled coyly at her dumbstruck sibling "Oh come now Motoko-chan, if I'd wanted to kill you, you never would have seen the blow coming." She chuckled as her sister shivered "Now come on."

"C-come?" Motoko repeated, blinking up at her sister in confusion, even as she held a hand to her breasts, her prison uniform having been shredded as well "Come where?"

"Why home of course." Tsuruko countered, smiling serenely as a door opened, revealing a female guard with a fresh set of bindings, hakama and uwagi "Oh not the Hinata." She assured the girl, who looked hesitant "Our home, after all, we have much to prepare for before you can return there."

"Prepare?" Motoko repeated, not liking her sister's tone as she accepted the clothes from the guard hesitantly.

"Why for Keitaro-kun's eventual return of course." Tsuruko chirped, winking at her sister coyly, her manner teasing "After all, it wouldn't do for you to embarrass yourself in front of the man you love, would it?"

Motoko's flush could have lit up the deepest, darkest hole in the world, which right now, the younger Aoyama wouldn't have minded crawling into.

* * *

Gina's Home...

"Wow!" Keitaro gaped, staring at the Diggers couple in amazement, having been regaled with several of their old adventures "So you really became arms-master of jade?"

"Don't ever doubt it." Julia smirked flexing a muscle, which was nonetheless comely on her trim frame, as she hugged her husband to her side "And my Theo here's got a lot of clout with the Archmage council."

"Nothing a little hard work and study couldn't achieve." The Archmage chuckled, nodding at the Ronin, who beamed at him "Something you're rather familiar with Keitaro."

"Aren't I ever…" Keitaro chuckled, having told them all about his attempts to get into Tokyo-U over the course of the evening, the tray of cookies having been devoured long before "Still, I doubt I ever had it as rough as you…" he looked down at the table "I mean…at least Julia-san is REAL, for all I know the promise girl's a figment of my imagination…"

"Always hold onto your dreams Keitaro." Dr. Diggers offered, the Ronin looking up at him in confusion "They're what make you the person you are today. The thing is to learn how to move on, and avoid being trapped in those dreams." He smiled at his wife "I may only get to see my wife one day a year…but that doesn't mean I lose myself in my memories of the past." He smiled at his daughters "My girls needed me, it would have been an insult to abandon them like that."

"Still…it hardly seems fair…" Keitaro muttered, the Ronin looking from the doctor to his wife in concern, "I mean, isn't there any kind of spell that could remove the curse? Maybe if we use the same thing from when Gina-san and Cheetah-san were cursed…"

"Mom isn't cursed." Brianna countered, the composite Diggers sibling leaning back in her chair as she spoke, shivering slightly at the memory of her 'birth' "She's just 'phased', and each time something from this dimension comes near her she'll 'phase out', today excluded." She grinned at Gina "We un-phase her, problem solved, simple huh?"

"Huh?" Gina stammered, blinking at her youngest sibling in confusion "How on earth did you figure that out?"

"I used the new scanner you got from the Amarans on mom this morning." Brianna admitted with a smirk "All I had to do was plug it into the Toroidal Magnetic Chamber to power it."

"My 'Tok Mak' Nuclear Fusion Generator?" Gina repeated in confusion, Keitaro, Brittany and Dr. Diggers stiffening slightly at the word 'Nuclear' "That thing NEVER works!"

"It does if you use Resistors as Terminators for your Thin-Coaxial-Ethernet-Card Networks." Brianna countered, not too smugly mind you "Y'see Gina, your problem is you never take the easy way out."

"I think my brain just went to sleep…" Keitaro muttered, smoke trailing out of his ears as he held a hand to his brow, unable to keep up with the duo's scientific jargon, a fact Brittany shared vocally, only to be politely silenced by her father.

"Gina? Brianna?" the Archmage asked, a ray of hope in his features as he regarded his eldest and youngest offspring "What is the conclusion to all this?"

"Well at first I thought that mom's 'curse' couldn't be removed…" Gina admitted, a calculating smile coming to her face "But now I'm beginning to think differently."

"Waitaminute!" Brittany called out, the were-cat getting to her feet "You're not thinking of sticking mom in that 'curse removing machine are you? The last time you tried that all HELL broke loose! No offense Bri."

"Brianna-san didn't mean it…" Keitaro offered, even as the composite Diggers beamed at him for his support, squeezing his arm gratefully.

"Besides, it isn't a curse Brit." She countered, looking at her elder sibling "It's just some weird 'warp' thingy." She nodded towards Julia, who looked as confused, albeit hopeful, as Brittany "With Gina's new equipment, we could come up with something to cure mom…at least I hope so…"

"If anyone could do it it's Gina-san and Brianna-san." Keitaro reasoned, only to flush as the girls looked at him "Well…I won't claim to understand what you're talking about. But Gina-san and Brianna-san always seem to come up with an answer when the chips are down…and I'll shut up now."

"Don't Kei." Gina offered, leaning in and pecking the Ronin on the cheek, a kind smile on her face as his lit up like a solar flare "That was just the pep talk we needed." She smiled at Brianna "You up for a little R&D, Bri?"

"I've had the Lab's computer-aided design workstations working on it since before you got back sis." Brianna replied, smirking as she got to her feet, the two of them walking off, though Brianna managed to slip in a pinch to Keitaro's rear in passing.

"He really is a keeper Theodore." Julia chuckled, watching the embarrassed Ronin yelp in surprise, flushing madly as her eldest and youngest disappeared off to their lab "I can see why you haven't used the 'skull' thing on him."

"Am I that easy to read?" Dr. Diggers chuckled, smiling warmly at the Ronin as he returned his wife's embrace, even as Brittany hauled Keitaro off for a quick spar, not wanting to be the only one not doing anything.

* * *

Sorry, no stand action this time either.

And Keitaro meets the women that gave birth to Gina...and lived to tell the tale.

Seriously his baby face is a leathal weapon.

Also, Granpa Litch is plotting...and Yes, he has a Stand, but I'm not spilling.


End file.
